A White House adviser revealed last week that the Trump administration will develop metrics to track federal agencies' implementation of a federal cybersecurity framework. The move is part of Trump's larger effort to treat the entire federal network as its own entity and preserve it from cyber threats.
Thomas Bossert, President Trump's adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism, said the Trump administration will require agencies and federal departments to adopt and implement the framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The agencies will then have to produce a report that will be submitted to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the White House.
According to The Hill, new metrics will be developed to rate the agencies on cybersecurity without public disclosure. The Trump administration will use the ratings as the "scorecard" to assess the agencies' seriousness in implementing the cybersecurity efforts, Bossert said.
Trump's current priority on cybersecurity includes controlling and preserving federal networks and their data, securing critical infrastructure, and defending the U.S. from cyber threats. In fact, the Trump administration will particularly focus on modernizing government IT infrastructure and allowing agencies to be properly resourced to efficiently handle cybersecurity, according to Lawfare.
The Trump administration also plans to partner with industry leaders, owners of critical infrastructure, as well as state and local governments to strengthen cybersecurity. Bossert added that one of the White House's desire is to engage with companies in Silicon Valley, despite having some leading technology companies' opposing Trump's agenda.
Meanwhile, the forthcoming cybersecurity executive order which was delayed in January due to political convenience determines to outline Trump's cybersecurity priorities at a time like this. While no timeline is released for the updated executive order, the private sector is awaiting more unveiling of the Trump administration's cybersecurity moves.
