Additionally, the White House announced a summit to be held on February 13, 2015, at Stanford University to discuss policy issues surrounding cybersecurity and consumer protection. The goal of the summit is to “shape public and private sector efforts to protect American consumers and companies from growing threats to consumers and commercial networks.” The summit is expected to bring together senior administration officials and agency heads, along with CEOs from several different industries, as well as law enforcement, consumer advocates, technical experts and students. According to a White House release, topics will include “increasing public-private partnerships and cybersecurity information sharing, creating and promoting improved cybersecurity practices and technologies, and improving adoption and use of more secure payment technologies.”
Finally, the White House announced that the Department of Energy will provide $25 million in grants over the next five years to support a cybersecurity education consortium consisting of 13 historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and two national labs. The grants are part of a 2010 executive order to promote excellence at HBCU and are designed to help to fill the growing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals. Vice President Biden will formally announce the grants at an event on Thursday in Norfolk, VA.