Obama issues new policy directive to battle cyberattacks

WASHINGTON, July 26 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday issued a new policy directive laying out how U.S. government agencies should respond to significant cyber attacks from China, Russia, North Korea and other actors, White House officials said.

The Presidential Policy Directive on United States Cyber Incident Coordination is the latest in a series of measures the U.S. government has taken to battle cyberattacks.

"When it comes to cyber actors, the global landscape is increasingly diverse and dangerous. Nations like Russia and China are growing more assertive and sophisticated in their cyber operations. Iran has launched denial of service attacks on American banks -- and North Korea has demonstrated it will conduct destructive attacks -- against other nations and companies alike," Lisa O. Monaco, Obama's counterterrorism aide, said at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York.

Monaco said the new directive establishes a clear framework to coordinate the government's response to cyberattacks and spells out which federal agencies are responsible.

The North's cyber capabilities have been a greater focus of attention since a massive hacking attack on Sony Pictures in late 2014, which Pyongyang is believed to have carried out in retaliation for Sony's release of a comedy film ridiculing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

jschang@yna.co.kr
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