US announces roadmap to National Cybersecurity Strategy
Outlines more than 65 initiatives focusing on reducing risk and enhancing investments in cyber
The White House has released the initial version of the implementation plan for its National Cybersecurity Strategy, which was published in March.
The National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (NCSIP) [pdf] outlines over 65 initiatives that focus on reducing cyber risk and enhancing investments in cybersecurity.
The Biden administration published the National Cybersecurity Strategy in March. The Strategy's aim is to disrupt cyber threat operations, enhance cyber resilience, and redefine and allocate cyber defence responsibilities throughout the United States.
The Strategy has five core pillars: safeguarding critical infrastructure, dismantling threat actors, shaping market dynamics to promote security and resilience, investing in a resilient future, and fostering international partnerships to pursue common objectives.
Although the National Cybersecurity Strategy is a one-time document, the implementation plan to execute it is expected to evolve over time.
"The implementation plan is a living document," said acting national cyber director Kemba Walden, at a press briefing.
"The National Cybersecurity strategy is meant to be enduring and is crafted to guide policy across the decisive decade in which we find ourselves. [The] Implementation Plan, on the other hand, will evolve - whether in response to changing threat landscapes, or as initiatives are completed and we get follow on actions."
Every initiative detailed in the NCSIP aligns with one of the five pillars in the National Cybersecurity Strategy, is assigned to a responsible agency and has a timeline for completion.
At the plan's forefront is a commitment to engaging both the public and private sectors, leveraging their resources and expertise to combat cyber threats.
The objective of these partnerships is to ensure that the most prominent and capable entities, from both public and private sectors, assume a larger responsibility in mitigating cyber risks.
Another initiative is the commitment to revise the National Cyber Incident Response Plan. This update focuses on ensuring a cohesive response from government and private sector partners during cyber incidents, with an emphasis on streamlining and enhancing the incident response and recovery procedures.
Additional initiatives including the establishment of the Joint Ransomware Task Force to combat ransomware, exploring the possibility of a federal insurance backstop, formulating a strategy to enhance the national cyber workforce, and promoting the development of secure IoT devices.
The NCSIP also highlights the importance of enhanced software transparency. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is now responsible for spearheading an initiative to identify and minimise gaps in the software bill of materials.
This effort aims to provide market actors with a clearer understanding of their supply chain risks.
The Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) will oversee the coordination of activities, including the submission of an annual report to the President and Congress regarding the implementation progress.
Additionally, the ONCD will collaborate with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure that funding proposals in the President's Budget Request align with the initiatives outlined in the NCSIP.
Sorely needed
Earlier this week, various federal agencies were affected by a hacking incident, highlighting the importance of the NCS' implementation.
A Chinese state-backed threat group, dubbed Storm-0558, covertly accessed email accounts at around 25 organisations worldwide, including the US State Department and Commerce Department.
The Washington Post says email accounts belonging to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and officials from the Department of State were compromised.
Adam Hodge, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said the intrusion had had an impact on "unclassified systems."