At a trialogue meeting on December 7, the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union reached agreement with the European Parliament on common rules to strengthen network and information security (NIS) across the EU. The new directive will set out the first ever EU-wide cybersecurity obligations for operators of essential services and digital […]
Tag Archives: critical infrastructure
Executive Order Authorizes Economic Sanctions as New Tool for U.S. Cyber Defense
On 1 April 2015, President Obama signed an Executive Order authorizing the imposition of sanctions on individuals and entities determined to be responsible for or complicit in malicious cyber-enabled activities constituting a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control simultaneously released FAQs related to the Order. The White House, in a statement by President Obama and in FAQs on the White House Blog, explained that the Order will be used to impose targeted sanctions against the “worst of the worst” malicious cyber actors, as well as companies that knowingly use stolen trade secrets.
The White House Announces a Cybersecurity Summit and Information Sharing Proposals
President Obama today addressed cybersecurity for the second time in as many days in a speech at the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC). Early this morning, the White House announced a February 13 Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection and released further details on several initiatives to promote cybersecurity information sharing between the private sector and government. The President then convened a meeting with congressional leaders in which he discussed cybersecurity issues. Speaking about his cooperation with House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the President noted “I think we agreed that this is an area where we can work hard together, get some legislation done and make sure that we are much more effective in protecting the American people from these kinds of cyber attacks.” Today’s developments follow the President’s address to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) yesterday, in which he announced a legislative proposal on national data breach reporting and emphasized the importance of student and consumer privacy. Together, these events provide a preview of initiatives that the President is expected to highlight during his State of the Union address on January 20.
NIST Seeks Information on Cybersecurity Framework Experience
Six months after release of the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, on August 21 the National Institute of Standards and Technology put forward a draft Request For Information to learn more about experiences with and effectiveness of the Framework. Through the RFI process, NIST seeks to better understand how organizations in all critical infrastructure sectors are approaching and making specific use of the Framework. Responses to the RFI are expected to shape the agenda for NIST’s 6th Cybersecurity Framework Workshop, its first following the Framework’s release.
New U.S. Cybersecurity Framework Issued: In Wake of Cyberattacks and Lawsuits, How Should Organizations Respond?
With cyberattacks prompting litigation, regulatory inquiries, and reactions from customers and media outlets on an almost daily basis, companies of every type are considering what they should be doing now to address the risks of cyber intrusions and data security breaches. The “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” issued earlier this month by the National Institute for Standards and Technology provides a comprehensive menu of measures that can be used by organizations to address cybersecurity risk. In this alert, the Hogan Lovells Privacy Team describes this new resource and its implications for companies and suggest steps organizations can take now to assess whether to use it to manage cyber risk.
White House Launches Cybersecurity Framework for Corporate Use; NIST to Hold “Privacy Technical Standards” Workshop
On February 12 at a White House event headlined by two Cabinet Secretaries, the President’s Chief of Staff, and three CEOs, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released version 1.0 of a “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.” Likely to become a highly influential benchmark for assessing the reasonableness of corporate cybersecurity programs, the Framework was developed with input from hundreds of private sector, governmental, and other experts pursuant to the President’s Executive Order on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.
Hogan Lovells Partner Advocates for Privacy, Contributes Strawperson to US Cybersecurity Framework Process
At a November 14 workshop convened by the National Insitute for Standards and Technology, experts and leaders across government and industry voiced alarm at the vulnerability of computerized systems and devices to a rising tide of threats from sources as varied as nation-state actors, cybercrime rings, and political movements. This blog post discusses the conference, including remarks by Hogan Lovells partner and Future of Privacy Forum advisory board member Harriet Pearson endorsing the consideration of privacy in cybersecurity efforts.
NIST Releases Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework; Comment Period to Start Shortly
On October 22, NIST released the official Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework under development pursuant to the President’s Executive Order on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. A formal 45-day comment period will begin once the Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework is published in the Federal Register, which is expected next week. NIST remains on track to meet the Executive Order’s February 2014 deadline for issuance of the final Cybersecurity Framework.
NIST Releases Discussion Draft of Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework
On August 28, NIST released a discussion draft of the Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework that it is developing pursuant to the President’s Executive Order on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. NIST invites stakeholder review and input of this discussion draft, leading into the publication of the Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework on October 10 for formal public comment. The discussion draft follows on what has already been an active summer with respect to cybersecurity.
Active Summer, Busy Fall Ahead for Cybersecurity Policy
In the past week, both the White House and Senate have taken some notable steps on cybersecurity. Both sets of developments largely relate to the Cybersecurity Framework being developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) pursuant to the President’s Executive Order on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.
U.S. Cybersecurity Executive Order Signed, Will Affect Many Types of Businesses
On February 12, President Obama signed an Executive Order on “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity,” and then referenced the Order and the need for additional congressional action during the State of the Union address on the same day: America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks. We know hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate […]