Governments and Companies Band Together to Push Cyber Protections

US and foreign government officials, along with antivirus companies and banks, have formed a coalition to push for the adoption of certain electronic safeguards that could help them all avoid data breach lawsuits. Led by a 34-year veteran of the National Security Agency, the Consortium for Cybersecurity Action is proposing a set of 20 proven security controls for automatically immunizing computer systems.

“This is about priority,” said Tony Sager, who in June retired from NSA, the key Pentagon agency involved in network surveillance and code breaking. The 20 steps are “the most important defenses that every firm should put in place that are of greatest value.” He now works for the SANS Institute, a computer research and training center that helped develop the controls.