The New White House Cybersecurity Strategy: What You Need To Know
The Biden administration released its first national cybersecurity strategy aimed at holding software developers and hackers responsible for data security failures.
Why It Matters: New proposed regulations and rules will impact companies in the private and public sectors. Any delay in implementing necessary IT infrastructure or updating development processes with an eye toward data security can result in failures to meet guidelines.
- Cybersecurity threats have been increasing over the last few years.
- Critical systems have fallen victim to ransomware and other types of attacks.
- Many organizations lack the necessary tools and training to meet strict best practices like those outlined by the NIST.
A software development pipeline can either be your best resource to fight against cybercrime or a data security vulnerability. DevSecOps aims to support data security by installing security considerations into every step of the application development lifecycle. This includes everything from the initial planning, to development, to deployment and release.
How Does the National Cybersecurity Strategy Impact Me?
The federal government is asking for our help to guard against cyberattacks. While the defense department and FBI will increase their efforts to combat global ransomware groups and hackers, they are also relying on private software developers to take more responsibility for the security of their products.
The Biden administration’s cybersecurity strategy places far more emphasis on the contributions of private companies than the strategies of other administrations.
Previously, companies were asked to voluntarily report any cybersecurity issues. They were also asked to patch vulnerabilities as they were found. But the recent surge of state-sponsored hacks has caused the White House to increase their requirements of private companies.
While these new laws and regulations aren’t currently enacted, they would require the establishment of cybersecurity protections for critical IT infrastructure. It is also possible that companies could be held liable if their code were to fail and lead to a data breach.
But all of the responsibility doesn’t fall exclusively on private companies. The government aims to increase their cybersecurity tactics to increase defenses and take aim at known cybercrime groups.
What Can I Do to Prepare for New Rules and Regulations?
A company that is taking proper care of their data security measures will already have the appropriate systems in place. But anybody that has aimed for a “good enough” cybersecurity strategy will have vulnerabilities and holes in their defense coverage.
Software developers need to think of their code like car parts. A vehicle manufacturer that produces a line of defective brakes is liable to be held responsible for the negative outcomes of their faulty products. Under this new cybersecurity strategy, software companies could be held liable if their code experiences a similar failure and leads to costly outages or data loss.
While focusing on creating the best possible products, companies will also need to maintain constant visibility into the health of their platform. Accidents happen. Vulnerabilities are exploited. And even those that stress the importance of data security can fall victim to a hack.
Reporting is going to be an essential aspect of these new recommendations. Ensure you have the capacity to scan your environment for anything out of the ordinary and create a reporting strategy should a worst-case scenario occur.
The Role of DevSecOps
A DevSecOps approach to software development is no longer negotiable. And while Congress will need to be involved for any laws or regulations to be officially instituted, there is no reason to prolong the process of adopting this strategy. Any delay in securing your system is another day you are vulnerable to increasingly brazen cybercriminals.
DevSecOps aims to inject data security considerations into every aspect of the software development lifecycle. Paying constant attention to securing the release dramatically diminishes the chances of a vulnerability remaining unaddressed. The usage of automated tools and multiple layers of testing ensure the code that makes up the end product remains stable and secure.
These stipulations are aimed at keeping everyone safe and their data secure. Failing to address these requirements will only produce negative outcomes. Getting a head start on implementing these tools and processes positions a software company to easily navigate any coming rules and regulations.
What Can I Do Today?
AutoRABIT offers the only complete DevSecOps platform for Salesforce development.
Schedule a demo today to see how we can help you quickly produce stronger updates and applications.
