笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听叠颈诲别苍鈥檚听肠测产别谤蝉别肠耻谤颈迟测听聽(EO)聽directs聽major聽advancements in the protection and resilience of our federal missions against ever-worsening and highly sophisticated cyber threats鈥攁nd it could mark a turning point.聽It聽marshals聽whole-of-government聽forces聽with聽a聽myriad聽of聽tasks聽designed to聽defend聽U.S. national and economic security. But achieving the EO鈥檚 possibilities will require an unwavering focus on the big picture. Now more than ever, agencies must double down on data-driven cybersecurity to safeguard information, infrastructure, and operational technology from emerging risks.听听
More than two years after the聽standup聽of聽the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA),聽the聽EO聽makes clear the primacy of聽CISA聽in both national and federal cybersecurity.聽In addition,聽the聽EO聽focuses聽on protecting digital supply chains and holding contractors and service providers to higher security standards. It聽moves beyond聽deploying controls to聽focus on聽leveraging data to improve security. And it聽calls for聽proactive, preventive security operations with an emphasis on vulnerability management and聽persistent聽threat hunting.
Unstated in the聽EO聽is the聽budget聽that will be required to fulfill these mandates.聽And, going forward,聽the聽onus is still on Congress to ensure聽federal cybersecurity聽efforts聽are funded聽each year, just as executive聽leadership聽must聽drive cybersecurity聽investments in the private sector.聽But here are聽four聽ways聽agencies and businesses聽can聽put聽the EO聽into action聽by unleashing聽a data-driven arsenal of cyber defenses:聽
- Rethink security聽link by link:聽From聽the聽enterprise to the larger ecosystem of hardware, software, and service providers,聽organizations must聽know every strand of聽their supply chain聽to聽see聽their attack surface,聽apply an adversarial mindset,聽and聽prevent new threat vectors.聽That鈥檚 why聽agencies are conducting supply chain reviews based on a聽.听础诲诲谤别蝉蝉颈苍驳听supply chain risks聽also聽requires聽due-diligence checks against third-party vendors.聽And聽the cybersecurity EO聽calls for new聽related聽risk-management tools: It聽directs聽the聽National Institute of Standards and Technology聽to聽.
- 奥别补辫辞苍颈锄别听诲颈蝉迟谤耻蝉迟: There are no silver bullets in the cybersecurity marketplace.聽As聽the EO urges, organizations聽must聽move away from simply overlaying more security controls and聽countermeasures and build instead聽a more defensible and modern digital infrastructure based on principles of zero trust.聽We recommend implementing聽controls聽around聽seven pillars (user, device, network/environment, application and workload, data, visibility and analytics, and automation and orchestration).聽And civilian agencies and businesses聽should draw lessons and inspiration from聽the聽.听听
- Use聽data to turn the tables on聽threats:聽To聽drive cyber defense聽improvements聽and make systems inhospitable for intruders, organizations聽must聽embrace聽preventative and proactive security with improved hygiene, vulnerability management, and聽persistent聽threat hunting.聽Agencies and businesses聽need to聽harness the power of their security data聽by combining聽automation,聽advanced聽analytics, and聽tradecraft聽to quickly uncover cyber anomalies聽and聽spot聽hidden threats聽in their networks.聽As the EO聽notes, civilian agencies must work聽in partnership聽with CISA to help implement聽the new聽threat-hunting authorities that Congress gave CISA in聽the聽National Defense Authorization Act聽for Fiscal Year 2021. And聽proactive hunting聽of cyber threats is just as vital in the private sector.聽
- 厂丑补谤别听测辞耻谤听肠测产别谤蝉别肠耻谤颈迟测听颈苍蝉颈驳丑迟蝉:听The federal government and聽critical infrastructure industries聽must greatly聽elevate聽the聽timely聽sharing of actionable聽cyber threat聽and incident聽data,聽building聽on聽the聽past聽progress of聽sector-specific聽hubs. To that end, the EO聽calls for removing contractual barriers聽to information sharing聽and requiring聽contractors聽that provide聽IT and operational technology聽services聽to聽share聽cyber threat and incident聽data聽with federal聽authorities.聽Contractors must prepare accordingly.聽But聽more聽broadly,聽all organizations聽should聽develop聽innovative聽ways聽to聽cost-effectively store聽troves聽of聽security data聽for analysis and聽quickly聽pinpoint and聽share聽actionable聽insights聽on demand.聽
The聽EO聽assigns聽CISA聽leaders聽greater accountabilities聽to聽secure聽and defend聽the nation and the government聽but also deals them a stronger hand through greater authorities聽to meet these聽new obligations.聽It will help, for instance,聽implement聽and quickly operationalize聽CISA鈥檚聽new threat-hunting authorities.聽And聽the聽EO聽is聽designed聽to聽catalyze cybersecurity improvements in the private sector, too,聽by using the聽government鈥檚 purchasing power to elevate security standards and performance.聽But聽more broadly,聽the imperative聽to聽put data-driven cybersecurity into action聽should now be聽a top聽priority聽for government and industry聽leaders.聽What hangs in the balance聽is聽nothing less than聽the future of U.S. national and economic security.
