President Obama just announced his plan to implement a Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) that will take near-term actions and put in place a long-term strategy to enhance cybersecurity awareness, protect privacy, maintain public safety, and empower Americans to take better control of their digital security. The Administration also released the 2016 Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan, which was coordinated by the National Science and Technology Council. All of this follows in the momentum of the December passage of the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, which makes it easier for private companies to share cyber threat information with each other and the Government. CNAP is the capstone of more than seven years of determined […]

The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 mandated a report to Congress on the status of a Cybersecurity Research Plan, specifically focusing on software security. The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is in a unique position to provide input from the computer science research community to the report before it is finalized. There is a hope that this report will influence decisions about the areas on which to focus and make future research funding available through different federal agencies. In order to prepare this feedback, we have formed an editorial team consisting of Kevin Fu, Lorrie Cranor, Cynthia Dwork and Avi Rubin.  Specifically, we are looking for a brief response to the below […]

In response to the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014, federal agencies are developing a Federal cybersecurity research and development strategic plan. On behalf of the agencies, the NITRD Cybersecurity R&D Senior Steering Group seeks public input on research objectives for the strategic plan. The strategic plan will be used to guide and coordinate federally-funded cybersecurity research. Responses must be 25 pages or less and are due by June 19, 2015 to cybersecurity@nitrd.gov. For more information, please see the RFI’s link on the Federal Register.  Responders are asked to answer one or more of the following questions:   1. Section 201 (a)(1) of the Act identifies a number of cybersecurity objectives. What scientific, […]

The next WATCH Talk is Thursday, March 19, 12:00-1:00PM EDT. Mary Ellen Callahan, will discuss Cybersecurity and Privacy: Complementary– Not Mutually Exclusive– Concepts. Mary Ellen Callahan, Chair of Jenner & Block’s Privacy and Information Governance Practice, has unique and broad experience advising clients at the interface of privacy protection with cybersecurity and national security.  A nationally recognized privacy attorney, she served as Chief Privacy Officer of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2009 until August 2012.  She is a prolific writer and speaker on cutting-edge commercial privacy issues. Abstract   Cybersecurity information sharing is vital to protect the private and public sector assets. With that said, privacy protections must […]