After having recently-completed a two-month appraisal of the government's cybsersecurity preparedness at President Obama's request, Melissa Hathaway - acting senior director for cyberspace - said on Wednesday that the White House needs to take a more 'direct control' of US cybersecurity, thereby coordinating national cybersecurity efforts.
Expressing her views at the RSA conference in San Francisco, Hathaway said that even though it is essential that cybersecurity efforts be shared by the private and the public sector, the chore of leading it "is the fundamental responsibility of our government."

Hathaway said that net security has become one of the most serious challenges of the present times, and added that a myriad of cyber-incursions have allowed criminals to pilfer hordes of money as well as steal intellectual property and sensitive military information.

In contending for a bigger, adequately organized role of the White House in US cybersecurity, Hathaway said: "Protecting cyberspace requires strong vision and leadership and will require changes in policy, technology, education, and perhaps law."

Hathaway was instrumental in developing last year's Comprehensive National CyberSecurity Initiative, which received the approval of former President George W. Bush. As such, it is being speculated that the recommendations mentioned in her report might lead to the handing over of increased cybersecurity responsibilities to the National Security Council of the White House.