White House Releases Highly Anticipated National Cybersecurity Report

A highly anticipated bipartisan report covering our national cybersecurity strategy for the coming years has finally been published. 

Cybersecurity has been a fast-growing concern in recent years as technology continues to advance. Every sector of American society has been significantly impacted by the growth of technology. From smart to smarter phones, flat to flatter screens and now – dare we say – artificial intelligence; technology is everywhere.

And just like anything that grows too fast come oversights, underestimations, and unexpected events.

The technology boom is no different.

As technology continues to grow at shocking rates, so will opportunists looking to take advantage of loopholes and weaknesses for exploitation and gain. Within the cybersecurity realm, the reasons for exploitation range from a personal vendetta from one person to another to an adversarial nation-state stealing intellectual property from another country.

This new reality hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, several high-profile data breaches have made international headlines. In 2013, a hacking group accessed and exposed the account information of three billion Yahoo users.

In 2018, Aadhaar, the world’s largest ID database was breached and over one billion Indian citizens’ identity and biometric information was exposed by a malicious group. 

And as recently as 2021, LinkedIn had the data of 700 million of its users going into the dark web by a hacker who went by the name “God User.”

The list goes on and on. Which is why the United States government has recently spent millions of dollars to research and develop a cybersecurity strategic plan to counter this growing threat.

The National Cybersecurity Strategy

In a highly anticipated report, the U.S. government has released a comprehensive report detailing the strategy to combat the quickly evolving threat. It focuses on all levels and types of cybersecurity threats that affect every industry.

“We envision a maturing “Internet of Things” (IoT), comprising everything from consumer goods to digitized industrial controls to constellations of satellites, that will increase efficiency and safety while providing game-changing insights into our environment and economy,” the report states.

The report recognizes the need for cybersecurity protection because of the rate of growth in all sectors of society.

“Driven by emerging technologies and ever more complex and interdependent systems, dramatic shifts in the coming decade will unlock new possibilities for human flourishing and prosperity while also multiplying the systemic risks posed by insecure systems,” the report states.

The Five Pillars of Cybersecurity

The report breaks down the strategic cybersecurity plan into five critical sections labeled as “pillars”. These five pillars consist of the most important aspects of cybersecurity that give the U.S. the highest likelihood for continued success in the overall protection of America and its allies.

Pillar 1: Defend Critical Infrastructure

Infrastructure is critical to a country’s ability to thrive. It connects everyone and facilitates commerce to ensure economic prosperity. This includes communications, power grids, dams, energy, bridges, and so on. As we progress with technology, more infrastructure is becoming connected with one another. It is paramount that the nation’s infrastructure be protected.

According to the report, “This Administration has conducted sector-specific engagement with the industry to construct consistent, predictable regulatory frameworks for cybersecurity that focus on achieving security outcomes and enabling continuity of operations and functions, while promoting collaboration and innovation.”

Pillar 2: Disrupt and Dismantle Threat Actors

An ambitious part of the strategic plans is to proactively seek and destroy malicious actors. Part of cyberwarfare is to provide security as a preventive measure. Another part is to initiate an offensive campaign to go after known threats to thwart future attacks – like a predator hunting its prey.

How the U.S. intends to proactively protect its assets vary. The report states, “Those efforts may integrate diplomatic, information, military (both kinetic and cyber), financial, intelligence and law enforcement capabilities.”

Pillar 3: Shape Market Forces to Drive Security Resilience

As stated earlier, part of the U.S. cybersecurity goals are to provide support and resources to help everyone within the cyberspace continuum protect themselves, not just government entities.

By helping everyone from small business owners, major corporations, and private entities improve their individual cybersecurity protocols, it is ensuring an overall healthy economic ecosystem.

“Our goal is a modern digital economy that promotes practices that enhance the security and resilience of our digital ecosystem while preserving innovation and competition,” according to the report.

Pillar 4: Invest in a Resilient Future

In addition to supporting current national interests, the U.S. wants to invest in the future and build a strong foundation for upcoming generations to thrive. This is a major step for the entire cybersecurity industry and part of the reason why we created Haiku products.

Among the strategic objectives are:

• Secure the technical foundation of the internet.
• Reinvigorate Federal Research and Development for Cybersecurity.
• Prepare for our post-quantum future.
• Secure our clean energy future.
• Support development of a digital identity ecosystem.
• Develop a national strategy to strengthen our cyber workforce.

Pillar 5: Forge International Partnerships to Pursue Shared Goals

The U.S. is equally focused on improving the cybersecurity of its allies across the world. Just as the internet is interconnected on the web, the U.S. allies are connected diplomatically, strategically, and economically.

Furthermore, a by-product of supporting allies will be an internal strengthening as well. This strategy comes in contrast to “the sum of the parts is greater than the whole”. In terms of the U.S. and its allies supporting each other in cybersecurity, they are stronger when working as one cohesive unit.

Haiku Products

As the report clearly dictates, there will be a sharp increase in cybersecurity and its applications in the coming years. As the U.S. prepares to execute its comprehensive strategy to become a world power in cybersecurity, there will be a generation of individuals preparing to be a part of it.

The opportunities in the cyberspace will be virtually limitless. Become an early adopter of this new world and give yourself a head start as we are still in the early stages of new cybersecurity demands.

And we at Haiku are providing the tools you need to get there.

-Haiku