“From the past few years, trained security researchers are leaving for the Private sector and this has been a huge problem. We should train more security experts that will work for the country,” stated the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. Clearly citing cybersecurity as a top national priority, the panel has outlined a challenging to-do list wherein the President-elect Donald Trump has been advised to try and develop international norms for hacking, particularly drawing red lines to avoid cyber warfare or even armed conflict. The commission panel comprised of well-known figures in the security realm, which included the MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga and the former NSA director Keith Alexander, alongwith other notable business executives, lawyers and academics, who addressed the critical issue in a report to Trump. The Trump administration is being asked to have the issue examined by the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and regulators at the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Presidential Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, which was expected to spell out actions the U.S. can take over the next 10 years, instead urged more immediate actions within two to five years. In its 100-page report, the commission recommended the administration of President-elect Donald Trump consider some items “deserving action” within the first 100 days. The President-elect in his first year in office has been advised to tackle this issue; the commission added that the private sector pays security experts better that the U.S. and this explains why the security experts are leaving for the private sector. At the same time, the panel is advising Donald Trump to offer incentives to companies in order to build more secure products in the U.S., which is somehow in opposition with what the President-elect was aiming for during his campaign. To ensure that the training programs are effective by matching skills and quality, the implementation of a ‘national cybersecurity workforce program’ should be in place; therefore, the program should watch over the training process thereby making sure that the trainees are equipped with high quality skills. Trump has also been advised to create an assistant to the president for cybersecurity, who would report through the national security adviser, and establish an ambassador for cybersecurity, who would lead efforts to create international rules. It also urged steps such as removal of traditional passwords to end the threat of identity theft by 2021. “Agencies are increasingly centralizing their cybersecurity efforts and relying on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for shared services like vulnerability detection, network discovery and monitoring, intrusion detection and prevention, and cybersecurity assessments of high priority IT systems,” Obama said in a statement. “Consolidating DHS’ cybersecurity and infrastructure protection missions within a single DHS line agency—as my Administration has proposed, and as the Commission recommends—would further strengthen DHS’ ability to support federal and critical infrastructure cybersecurity.” He added, “In total, the Commission’s recommendations affirm the course that this Administration has laid out, but make clear that there is much more to do and the next Administration, Congress, the private sector and the general public need to build on this progress. Deepening public-private cooperation will help us better protect critical infrastructure and respond to cyber incidents when they occur. Expanding the use of strong authentication to improve identity management will make all of us more secure online. Increasing investments in research and development will improve the security of products and technologies. Investing in human capital, education, and the productivity of the cybersecurity workforce will ensure that this country’s best and brightest are helping us stay ahead of the cybersecurity curve. Continuing to prioritize and coordinate cybersecurity efforts across the federal government will ensure that this critical challenge remains a top national security priority. And furthering the promotion of international norms of responsible state behavior will ensure that the global community is able to confront the ever-evolving threats we face.” Other ideas included helping consumers to judge products using an independent “nutritional label” for technology products and services. Several cybersecurity experts say the recommendations are mostly good. “I think this would be a great start,” said Randy V. Sabett, a Washington lawyer who sat on the last commission that advised President Obama at the start of his presidency. However, some pointed out that the panel didn’t emphasize the importance of encryption — encoding information so that it’s kept secured from criminals and spies. To know more details, you can read the full report here. Source: CNN
