Commerce Dept and DHS Deliver Cybersecurity Report to White House

A cybersecurity report from the Commerce Department and Homeland Security has been delivered to the White House in response to a 2017 executive order. The report, on better protecting against botnets and other kinds of automated attacks, was produced in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, Department of Defense and others. It identifies six principal themes:

1. The problem is global
2. Tools are out there but not sufficiently employed
3. The product lifecycle needs to be protected end to end
4. More education is needed
5. Market incentives need improving
6. The problem is ecosystem-wide, and the defense must include all stakeholders

The report also listed key goals in addressing the above:

Goal 1: Identify a clear pathway toward an adaptable, sustainable, and secure technology marketplace
Goal 2: Promote innovation in the infrastructure for dynamic adaptation to evolving threats
Goal 3: Promote innovation at the edge of the network to prevent, detect and mitigate automated, distributed attacks
Goal 4: Promote and support coalitions between the security, infrastructure, and operational technology communities domestically and around the world

Goal 5: Increase awareness and education across the ecosystem

The report concluded that current internet infrastructure has been remarkably resilient, but that threats like the 2016 Mirai Botnet attack have tested those limits.