The National Institute for Standards and Technology has assembled a new guide for cybersecurity, laid out in a 41-page cybersecurity framework made public by the White House earlier today. President Obama first called for the framework in the State of the Union, signing the official order earlier this month. Designed to help businesses manage the growing risk of web-based attacks, the report breaks out five different tiers of protection, according to varying risks and resources. As the President put it in the initial order, "We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy."

The framework also addresses privacy protections on user data, although the measures were scaled back from earlier recommendations. The Center for Democracy in Technology offered measured praise to the document, saying, "we are hopeful that such privacy protections are further developed and become standardized." The framework also drew praise from larger telecom stakeholders. As Verizon said in a statement: "We applaud the administration for bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to create this cyber framework, which provides a useful tool for companies as they consider the right mix of cyberdefenses to protect themselves and their customers."