Obama seeks cooperation on cybersecurity from businesses

SAN FRANCISCO: President Barack Obama wants members of the private sector to share information about threats to cybersecurity with each other and with the federal government.

The White House says such information-sharing will help US businesses work together to respond to costly and potentially crippling data breaches.

Obama plans to sign an executive order encouraging the creation of organizations where leads about cybersecurity threats can be shared and analyzed. The order will also direct the Department of Homeland Security to work on voluntary standards for these organizations.

The White House says rapid sharing of information is a key defense against threats to security in cyberspace.

Obama was signing the order in conjunction with a White House summit on cybersecurity and consumer protection at Stanford University that he’s attending.