On July 13, the Biden administration
published the
National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (NCSIP), outlining a roadmap for carrying out the administration’s
National Cybersecurity Strategy. The strategy was released earlier this year to introduce several key pillars for countering threats to the digital ecosystem and improving the nation’s digital security (covered by InfoBytes
here). Designed to build and enhance collaboration, the NCSIP identifies 65 federal initiatives assigned to various agencies with timelines for completion. According to the announcement, 18 agencies are spearheading initiatives in this “whole-of-government” plan, which also factors in “continued collaboration with the private sector, civil society, international partners, Congress, and state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments.”
Pillars include measures to:
- Defend critical infrastructure (the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will implement measures to update the National Cyber Incident Response Plan to, among other things, provide clear guidance to external partners on the roles and capabilities of federal agencies in incident response and recovery);
- Disrupt and dismantle threat actors (including focusing on virtual asset providers that enable the laundering of ransomware proceeds);
- Shape market forces and drive security and resilience;
- Invest in a resilient future (the National Institute of Standards and Technology will convene an interagency working group to coordinate major issues in international cybersecurity standardization); and
- Forge international partnerships to facilitate coordination with partner nations. The administration expects to update the plan annually.
