White House National Cyber Director Coker Discusses Cybersecurity Implementation Plan 2.0 at Conference Hosted by McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Security

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the White House National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. joined Frank Cilluffo, Director of the McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Security, to discuss progress made and work to come implementing the President Biden's National Cybersecurity Strategy which lays out a clear, affirmative plan to secure a safe digital ecosystem for all Americans.

The recently-released second implementation plan covers 100 high-impact actions, coordinated across federal agencies, with clear timelines and responsible agencies to ensure the plan's objectives. Of the initiatives outlined in Phase One, 92 percent have been completed. 

"The threats we face remain daunting. Our defenses are not impregnable. Aspiring just to manage the worst effects of cyber incidents is no longer sufficient.  And our work must continue to evolve to meet the changing landscape," Coker said.

Discussing the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy already completed, Director Coker said, "The Federal Government was responsible for completing 36 initiatives, led by 14 agencies, by the second quarter of 2024.  33 were completed on time. For those of you doing the math, that's 92%." 

Director Coker also laid out key initiatives in the next version of the Strategy's implementation. He said, "As with so many projects that are partnership-driven, our path ahead must be clear. Thanks to this second version of our Implementation Plan, we have renewed our commitment to building a defensible, resilient, and values-aligned digital ecosystem."

Director Coker's full opening remarks are available here.

"The Implementation Plan shows what can be done when federal agencies come together to fight this enormous threat," said Cilluffo. "In government, what is measured gets done, and this report provides a specific roadmap of what has been achieved and the critical further steps that must be taken."

Leading cybersecurity experts discussed the report during a panel following Director Coker's opening speech and his one-on-one discussion with Cilluffo.

The panel was led by Katherine Gronberg, a McCrary Senior Fellow and Head of Government Services at NightDragon, a San Francisco venture capital firm. The panel consisted of:

• Cherilyn Pascoe, Director of the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Nicholas Leiserson, Assistant National Cyber Director for Cyber Policy and Programs at the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD)
• Valerie Cofield, Chief Strategy Officer of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

The panel discussed a range of issues, including:

• The critical importance of working with foreign governments with a focus on international cooperation and the United States' leadership in this arena.
  
  
• Alignment across agencies with consistent harmony throughout regulatory requirements.
  
  
• That it's not a fair fight when smaller, end-users of technology, such as water companies and utilities are facing threats from China.

Some of the National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan Phase Two initiatives include:

• Efforts to boost critical infrastructure security in healthcare, education, and water/wastewater sectors
• Whole-of-society approach to disrupt cybercrime threats, including juvenile offenders
• IoT cybersecurity labeling program for consumer devices ("U.S. Cyber Trust Mark")
• Implementing the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy
• Promoting secure global supply chains through telecom investments

The McCrary Institute is a nonpartisan think tank located at Auburn University and is the leading group of public/private sector cyber experts providing unique end-to-end cyber capabilities from R&D, cybersecurity education/training, policy-relevant analysis, to future technology research.

Media contact: Charlie Perkins, 917-232-2236

SOURCE McCrary Institute for Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Security

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