WASHINGTON, May 23, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the White House National Cyber
Director Harry Coker, Jr. joined
Frank Cilluffo, Director of the
McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Security,
to discuss progress made and work to come implementing the
President Biden's National Cybersecurity Strategy which lays out a
clear, affirmative plan to secure a safe digital ecosystem for all
Americans.
"The Implementation Plan shows what can be
done when federal agencies come together to fight this enormous
threat."
The recently-released second implementation plan covers 100
high-impact actions, coordinated across federal agencies, with
clear timelines and responsible agencies to ensure the plan's
objectives. Of the initiatives outlined in Phase One, 92 percent
have been completed.
"The threats we face remain daunting. Our defenses are not
impregnable. Aspiring just to manage the worst effects of cyber
incidents is no longer sufficient. And our work must continue
to evolve to meet the changing landscape," Coker said.
Discussing the implementation of the National Cybersecurity
Strategy already completed, Director Coker said, "The Federal
Government was responsible for completing 36 initiatives, led by 14
agencies, by the second quarter of 2024. 33 were completed on
time. For those of you doing the math, that's 92%."
Director Coker also laid out key initiatives in the next version
of the Strategy's implementation. He said, "As with so many
projects that are partnership-driven, our path ahead must be clear.
Thanks to this second version of our Implementation Plan, we have
renewed our commitment to building a defensible, resilient, and
values-aligned digital ecosystem."
Director Coker's full opening remarks are available here.
"The Implementation Plan shows what can be done when federal
agencies come together to fight this enormous threat," said
Cilluffo. "In government, what is measured gets done, and
this report provides a specific roadmap of what has been achieved
and the critical further steps that must be taken."
Leading cybersecurity experts discussed the report during a
panel following Director Coker's opening speech and his one-on-one
discussion with Cilluffo.
The panel was led by Katherine
Gronberg, a McCrary Senior Fellow and Head of Government
Services at NightDragon, a San
Francisco venture capital firm. The panel consisted of:
- Cherilyn Pascoe, Director of the
National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- Nicholas Leiserson, Assistant
National Cyber Director for Cyber Policy and Programs at the Office
of the National Cyber Director (ONCD)
- Valerie Cofield, Chief Strategy
Officer of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
(CISA)
The panel discussed a range of issues, including:
- The critical importance of working with foreign governments
with a focus on international cooperation and the United States' leadership in this
arena.
- Alignment across agencies with consistent harmony throughout
regulatory requirements.
- That it's not a fair fight when smaller, end-users of
technology, such as water companies and utilities are facing
threats from China.
Some of the National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan
Phase Two initiatives include:
- Efforts to boost critical infrastructure security in
healthcare, education, and water/wastewater sectors
- Whole-of-society approach to disrupt cybercrime threats,
including juvenile offenders
- IoT cybersecurity labeling program for consumer devices ("U.S.
Cyber Trust Mark")
- Implementing the National Cyber Workforce and Education
Strategy
- Promoting secure global supply chains through telecom
investments
The McCrary Institute is a nonpartisan think tank located at
Auburn University and is the leading
group of public/private sector cyber experts providing unique
end-to-end cyber capabilities from R&D, cybersecurity
education/training, policy-relevant analysis, to future technology
research.
Media contact: Charlie Perkins,
917-232-2236
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SOURCE McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure
Security