How many years have we been an internet nation? We have collected masses of personal, financial and business information online with the only thing standing between your private data and a thief are the few number and letters you have in your security password.And if you think protecting your private information is important, just imagine the risk these threats pose to our overall economy and national security.

But, it seems the issue of internet security has taken center stage in Washington as President Obama has announced the creation of a National Cyber Security post. Calling this a transitional moment for the country, Obama says “It’s now clear this cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation.”

Consider this: the computer networks that house all of the information we hold so dear are the same computer networks that attackers hit millions of times each day. This is especially true given recent events that have made headlines.

A report published in March by the universities of Cambridge and Toronto alleges the Chinese government used social-malware in the form of rootkits and Trojans to secretly monitor the Tibetan movement. A little closer to home, though, a mystery computer virus struck U.S. law enforcement computers last week, forcing the FBI and the U.S. Marshals to shut down part of their computer networks.

No matter if we’re talking about an entire country’s military security or the safety of your own nest egg, these instances highlight why the creation of a National Cyber Security post is so important (and overdue). It’s never too soon to start get protection from internet threats, but, in some cases, it can be too late.