Obama made the announcement at the White House Friday, surrounded by a host of government officials and White House aides. The president called it "a transformational moment" for America and said he will soon pick the person he wants to head up a new White House office of cyber security.
Obama said the stepped up security is overdue. He also said that while the newly interconnected world offers great promise, it presents significant peril as well. The president declared: "Cyberspace is real, and so is the risk that comes with it."