By John E. Mulligan
Journal Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Comparing the potential security threat from "a few key strokes on a computer" to the danger of terrorist bombings, President Obama announced Friday that he will create a White House Cybersecurity Office to address what he called "one of the most serious economic and national security challenges that we face as a nation."

Obama told a group of about 300 in the East Room of the White House that he would launch a governmentwide computer security effort in collaboration with the private market.

He also acknowledged the work of a Center for Strategic and International Studies, which issued a set of cybersecurity recommendations to the new administration last December. Rep. James R. Langevin, D-Rhode Island, was one of the leaders of the commission that worked with the CSIS on that project.

The president touched on some familiar horror stories of identity theft, industrial spying and security breaches in government computer networks.

"Cyberspace is real and so are the risks that come with it," he said, noting the irony that criminals, terrorists, and rival powers have access to the same powerful computer tools that are transforming the world economy for the better.

Obama did not name the chief of his new White House Cybersecurity Office but said he or she will sit on his councils on national security and the economy.

He did release a "Cyberspace Policy Review" compiled by top advisers since he took office.

Among the initiatives that the president announced is a national program to educate the public in "cyberliteracy" and in the need for citizens and institutions to take steps to keep their own computer systems secured.

A White House fact sheet compared the initiative to the national class program in mathematics and science education in the 1960s.

Obama stressed that his new policy will not include "monitoring private sector networks or Internet traffic." He also said that his cybersecurity initiative would let the Internet remain "as it should be: open and free."

The original post on this subject was published at 8:20 a.m.