The executive cyber machine continues to hum along. Last month, the White House previewed possible “cyber incentives” that could coax private industry into following the cyber “best practices” that the government will promulgate in the not-too-distant future. The target audience is critical infrastructure: private companies that provide services so vital to the nation’s day-to-day function that the government feels obligated to ensure their resilience. Think standard utilities like water and electricity, cell phone and internet service, and banking.

Seven months ago, on February 12, 2013, President Obama signed Executive Order 13636, which called for a three-part approach to mitigating the cyber threats that the nation’s critical infrastructures face – information sharing, privacy, and cybersecurity practices. In an effort to promote the last of these three, the White House has been working with critical industry owners and operators to define a set of best practices that it will eventually consolidate into a “Cybersecurity Framework.” The Framework would become the standard for a “Voluntary Program” in which critical infrastructure companies participate. The hitch, however, is how to convince those private sector companies to actually join the Program.
Continue Reading White House Previews Potential Incentives for Voluntary Cyber Framework