White House Releases National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan

On July 13, 2023, the White House released the long-anticipated National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (NCSIP). This plan aims to coordinate interagency actions and will be updated annually by the Office of the National Cyber Director. Click here to access the NCSIP Fact Sheet; and here to access the full Implementation Plan.

Reflecting the National Cybersecurity Strategy’s 5 pillars and strategic objectives, the NCSIP includes more than 65 initiatives. This plan also requests public comments in the near future regarding cybersecurity regulatory harmonization. As PSC noted re: the March 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy, this effort focuses on accountability mechanisms and appears to shift liability onto software vendor. NCSIP objectives that are most likely to impact the contracting community are under Pillar Three: Shaping Market Forces and Driving Security and Resilience, specifically:

-3.3 Shift Liability for Insecure Software Products and Services
-3.5 Leverage Federal Procurement to Improve Accountability

Other NCSIP initiatives may also impact federal contractors. As PSC continues to assess the plan’s potential impact on the technology and professional services community, we welcome any PSC member company’s questions, input, or comments. Please contact Stephanie Kostro, EVP for Policy and lead for PSC’s Tech & Innovation Council, at Kostro@pscouncil.org.