Advertisement

Ex-White House aide and ex-IBM CEO to head cyber security panel

Former National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, participates in a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, June 2, 2014. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR3RUWC

By Dustin Volz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former White House national security adviser Tom Donilon and former IBM chief executive Sam Palmisano will lead a new commission to strengthen U.S. cyber defenses over the next decade, the White House said on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama set up the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity this month and sought $19 billion for cyber security across government in his annual budget proposal, a boost of $5 billion over the previous year.

Federal agencies have worked to upgrade their security since the Office of Personnel Management announced last year that roughly 22 million personnel files had been stolen in a massive hack.

(Reporting by Dustin Volz and Megan Cassella; Editing by Howard Goller)