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The U.S. president has announced a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy for the federal government, saying Internet-based threats have risen "dramatically" and the country "must act to reduce our vulnerabilities."

A 76-page White House document calls for a new way of looking at Internet and computer security, saying that private-public partnerships are necessary, collaboration with international organizations will be vital, and privacy and civil liberties must be respected in the process.

Sound familiar? The year was 2003, and the president was George W. Bush, who wrote the introduction to what he called a "National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.&… Read more

President Obama on Friday said the U.S. government is "not as prepared" as it should be to respond to disruptions caused by computer or Internet attacks and announced that a new cybersecurity coordinator position would be created inside the White House staff.

The still-to-be-named coordinator will oversee a new bureaucracy tasked with digital infrastructure protection, which had previously been handled by the Department of Homeland Security. "We will ensure that these networks are secure, trustworthy and resilient," Obama said. "We will deter, prevent, detect, and defend against attacks and recover quickly from any disruptions … Read more

President Obama on Friday is expected to unveil his administration's plans to deal with cybersecurity threats to federal agencies and the private sector, including the creation of a White House "cyber czar."

It's not yet clear who that person will be, or even whether Obama will name someone during his announcement. As part of a political compromise, the new position is expected to be folded into both the National Security Council and National Economic Council.

The announcement, which is scheduled to take place at 10:55 a.m. ET in the White House's East Room, … Read more

Updated at 12:15 p.m. PDT with confirmation and additional information from the Woodside town manager.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is one step closer to getting permission to tear down his dilapidated 1925 mansion in Woodside, Calif.

The Woodside Town Council voted almost unanimously Tuesday night to let Jobs move forward with his plans to demolish the 14-bedroom home to make room for a smaller, modern home on the same land.

The council for the small town--one of the world's wealthiest and home to other tech pioneers like Larry Ellison, Thomas Siebel, Andy Bechtolsheim, and Gordon Moore--voted … Read more

Some things look description in the eye and say: "Go on. Take your best shot. You ain't got nothin' on me."

Which is why I would like to offer you a TV spot for the Red House furniture store in High Point, N.C.

It has already been viewed by more than 600,000 people on YouTube. And it is, it is...well, I think it would be best if you tried to add the words to finish the thought, as I have been temporarily paralyzed. I am not sure if it's fright, shock, disgust, or … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--The federal official overseeing a 60-day review of the U.S. government's cybersecurity efforts indicated Wednesday that the final report recommends shifting more responsibilities to the White House.

"It provides the president with recommendations for a White House organizational structure that can effectively address cyberspace-related issues," Melissa Hathaway, acting cyberspace director for the White House's National Security and Homeland Security councils, said at the RSA computer security conference here.

At the moment, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security coordinates nonmilitary cybersecurity activities and is responsible for building a national "response … Read more

The main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives has reopened a probe of Lime Wire and other peer-to-peer file-sharing companies over the issue of "inadvertent sharing." The move comes nearly two months after it was alleged that Iran took advantage of a computer security breach to obtain information about President Barack Obama's helicopter.

CNET News has obtained copies of the letters written by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission asking them for help investigating the recent rash of security breaches caused when people … Read more

With a competition called the Energy Smackdown, you might expect to walk away bruised and battered. But after a year of trying to "smack down" energy use in my home, I actually feel pretty good.

Almost a year ago, I signed my household up for the Energy Smackdown, a combination of a community-outreach program, contest, and cable TV show.

Teams from three neighboring Boston-area cities were formed and competed to lower their energy use. About 60 households measured their energy use every month, along with how many miles they drove, flew, and how much trash they generated.

There … Read more

So here's the story as told by Carolyn Lorimer.

She buys herself a little apartment, or "flat" as they call it in Folkestone, England. Eight months ago, she decides to rent it out to nice people.

She hires a rental agency whose agents tell her they have succeeded in finding a sweet, respectable couple who would like to enjoy her apartment.

Things appear to be going swimmingly, until, one day, Ms. Lorimer is wandering around Facebook, as one does, and sees a picture of a party, with folks dancing on the tables and generally looking a little … Read more