White House Releases New National Cybersecurity Strategy

The White House announced a new national cybersecurity strategy meant to make the digital ecosystem more resilient, including a more aggressive stance against malicious cyber actors and shifting responsibility to “organizations that are most capable and best-positioned to reduce risks for all of us.”

The 39-page National Security Strategy document released Thursday outlines the Biden Administration’s approach to strike “a careful balance between defending ourselves against urgent threats today and simultaneously strategically planning for and investing in a resilient future,” it said.

The five pillars of the plan, to be coordinated by the Office of the National Cyber Director, includes a more offensive stance to “make malicious cyber actors incapable of threatening the national security or public safety of the United States” by disrupting and dismantling adversaries – engaging the private sector and leveraging relationships with allies and partners. Attention to critical infrastructure was specifically highlighted, with a call to increase minimum cybersecurity requirements, and modernize federal networks and incident response plans.

In addition, according to the White House, an emphasis will be placed on “those within our digital ecosystem that are best positioned to reduce risk, and shift the consequences of poor cybersecurity away from the most vulnerable.”

Software manufacturers appear to face more liability in order to change development practices, and promote privacy and security of personal data. President Biden said, “We will realign incentives to favor long-term investments in security, resilience, and promising new technologies.”

The pillars also include a initiative to shore up vulnerabilities within the internet, while “making it more resilient against transnational digital repression.”

“The strategy recognizes that government must use all tools of national power in a coordinated manner to protect our national security, public safety, and economic prosperity,” the administration said.