Barack Obama telling astronaut Scott Kelly to make sure to Instagram from space was the most surprising pop culture reference during the State of the Union address, but most important was the president's allusion to the Sony hacks. During his speech Obama discussed cyber security and included a clear reference to the seemingly endless wave of hacks against the movie studio.
“No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids," an advanced transcript of Obama's speech read. "We are making sure our government integrates intelligence to combat cyber threats, just as we have done to combat terrorism. And tonight, I urge this Congress to finally pass the legislation we need to better meet the evolving threat of cyber-attacks, combat identity theft, and protect our children’s information. If we don’t act, we’ll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable. If we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe."
Just last week the White House released the president's plans to boost the nation's cybersecurity. Obama is proposing legislation that would enable and encourage private companies to share information on cyber attacks with the Department of Homeland Security, as well as modernizing law enforcement to be more equipped in such matters. The Department of Energy will also provide $25 million in grants to help fill growing demand for cybersecurity experts.
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[via Variety]
