Easterly: Cybersecurity is a software quality problem
cyberscoop
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Contributed by: Drex DeFord
Summary
At the Black Hat security conference, Jen Easterly, head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), emphasized the need for a fundamental change in software development practices to improve cybersecurity. Easterly attributed the current epidemic of security breaches to poor software quality, advocating for a "secure by design" approach. CISA has garnered commitments from 200 companies to improve their product security since the launch of this pledge in March. Additionally, the Biden administration is contemplating software liability reforms to hold technology vendors accountable for flaws, urging Congress to establish a software liability regime. National Cyber Director Harry Coker echoed the need for greater resilience against cyberattacks and supported a bipartisan Senate bill aimed at streamlining cybersecurity regulations. Coker also mentioned ongoing efforts by the Department of Treasury to develop a federal cyber insurance backstop for catastrophic cyber events, though this initiative remains in its early stages.
