Application Security , Next-Generation Technologies & Secure Development

Cybersecurity Executive Order: An Assessment

The most significant component of President Biden's recently released executive order on cybersecurity is its call for the creation of software life cycle security standards, says Adam Isles, former deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who offers a complete assessment.

See Also: ESG Research Report: Securing the API Attack Surface

Software life cycle standards are needed, says Isles, who's now principal at the consultancy The Chertoff Group, because "we’re trying to get a greater level of transparency, particularly in third-party and open-source software ... ensuring the code libraries that vendors use are current and maintained."

In a video interview with Information Security Media Group, Isles discusses:

• The importance of setting standards for software security;
• The need to improve the sharing of cyberthreat information;
• The urgency of moving from a controls-oriented approach to a threat-informed defense, such as the "zero trust" model.

Isles is principal of the Chertoff Group, a consulting firm led by Michael Chertoff, former secretary of Homeland Security. Previously, Isles was the director of strategy and policy consulting for homeland security at Raytheon Co. and the deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.