OMB Posts Progress Report on Cybersecurity Initiatives
The scorecard identified security gaps for big agencies in the protect and detect categories. Image: vs148/Shutterstock.com
OMB has posted on a new assessment of cybersecurity initiatives at the 24 CFO Act agencies– on practices in the areas of identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover—saying that “agencies have made great strides in executing key administration cybersecurity priorities and reducing the risk to our government, but significant room for improvement remains across the federal government.”
“Most agencies scored very high in the identify, respond, and recover categories, but the scorecard identified security gaps for big agencies in the protect and detect categories. Overall, the progress report underscored that agencies are ready to assess and respond to cyber incidents,” said a blog posting on performance.gov.
“Additionally, the data highlight that agencies must continue to incorporate encryption and multifactor authentication throughout all agency systems, and increase the rate of penetration testing and red teaming— a method of thinking about lines of attacks on federal systems as our adversaries would,” it said.
Each category is weighted at 15 points, with the exception of the ‘protect’ category—which is weighted at 40 points, because it includes more metrics, such as the use of multi-factor authentication and encryption of data, than the other categories. Only GSA, achieved a composite score above 90, at 94, while 14 agencies fell between 80 and 90, seven between 70 and 80, and Interior with the lowest score at 68.
OMB added that “Starting next year, we will raise the bar in several areas by requiring agencies to provide more details on their endpoint detection and response toolsets, log management capabilities, and more.”
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