New US Initiatives Aim To Better Defend Against Cyberattacks

Both the U.S. government and the computing industry are intensifying their efforts to address growing cybersecurity challenges. The Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) will conduct a review focused on cloud security, particularly the malicious targeting of cloud environments. This initiative aims to provide recommendations for government, industry, and cloud services providers to enhance identity management and authentication in the cloud.

The CSRB’s assessment will begin by reviewing the recent Microsoft cloud hack, where Chinese hackers exploited a stolen Azure Active Directory enterprise signing key to access M365 email inboxes. This breach resulted in the theft of emails from approximately 25 organizations. The review will subsequently expand to address broader issues related to cloud-based identity and authentication infrastructure affecting cloud services providers and their customers.

Additionally, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a draft of the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0. This version of the framework has been updated to reflect changes in the cybersecurity landscape and is designed to help organizations understand, reduce, and communicate about cybersecurity risks. The framework is intended to be applicable to a wide range of sectors, not just critical infrastructure.

The U.S. government’s focus on cybersecurity also extends to enhancing the security of open-source software and memory-safe programming languages. The White House is soliciting public comments on these topics to further its commitment to developing secure software and techniques.

While cybersecurity experts recognize the importance of efforts to enhance cloud security and develop robust frameworks, challenges persist. Cloud misconfigurations and unpatched vulnerabilities remain prevalent, and the industry is demanding greater transparency and accountability regarding security breaches. As the landscape continues to evolve, the emphasis on balancing automation, human involvement, and effective governance will be critical to strengthening cybersecurity measures.