Federal government aims to standardize cybersecurity guidelines nationwide
The Biden administration has outlined a comprehensive plan to harmonize federal, state, and international regulations aimed at boosting cyber resilience among the nation's private sector and critical infrastructure providers. This initiative, driven by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), seeks to streamline the regulatory burden on companies and critical infrastructure providers.
Initially, the Biden administration's approach focused on centralized reporting and validation. Under the Executive Order, CISA was tasked with developing a program requiring certain government contractors and critical infrastructure providers to submit cybersecurity incident reports and security attestations to a centralized repository at CISA. This move was designed to enhance government visibility of cyber risks in the private sector and critical infrastructure.
However, the subsequent Trump Administration's Executive Order 14306, issued in mid-2025, modified or scaled back several of the Biden-era directives. For instance, it eliminated the mandatory submission of attestations to CISA's central repository, removing the enforcement referral mechanism under the National Cyber Director.
Despite these rollbacks, secure software development practices remain required in contracts, and public-private collaborative efforts continue. The focus has shifted to adjusting federal cybersecurity policies to evolving threats, including AI and foreign adversaries.
The lack of harmonization and reciprocity between regulatory agencies poses a challenge to both cybersecurity outcomes and business competitiveness, according to National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr. To address this issue, he has mentioned working on a pilot reciprocity framework to streamline the administrative load on critical infrastructure subsectors.
In response to the administration's request for information last August, industry stakeholders and other interested parties submitted 86 responses suggesting steps to streamline the administrative burden and costs associated with the various rules and regulations. These responses came from 11 of the federal government's 16 designated critical infrastructure sectors and represent over 15,000 businesses, states, and other organizations.
The administration is seeking additional help from Congress to find legislative authorities to reduce administrative redundancies. The ultimate goal is to simplify the reporting process to cut back on duplicative disclosure requirements, as requested by industry stakeholders. The plan to harmonize federal, state, and international regulations aims to reduce the regulatory burden on companies and critical infrastructure providers.
The plan was developed following months of input from private sector partners, including industry associations, nonprofits, and private sector companies. The administration will seek additional help from Congress to find legislative authorities to reduce administrative redundancies and further streamline the regulatory process.
References: [1] Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (n.d.). Executive Order 14028 - Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity. Retrieved from https://www.cisa.gov/oe14028 [2] White House. (2021, May 12). Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/12/executive-order-on-improving-the-nations-cybersecurity/ [3] White House. (2021, May 12). Fact Sheet: Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/12/fact-sheet-executive-order-on-improving-the-nations-cybersecurity/ [4] Executive Order 14306 - Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain. (2022, June 1). Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/06/01/executive-order-14306-securing-the-information-and-communications-technology-and-services-supply-chain/
- The Biden administration's initiative, as outlined in Executive Order 14028, aims to harmonize federal, state, and international regulations, focusing on cybersecurity compliance and the reduction of administrative burden for companies and critical infrastructure providers in technology sectors.
- In response to the call for information from the administration, various industry stakeholders have suggested steps to streamline administrative burdens and costs associated with regulations, with the ultimate goal of simplifying the reporting process to reduce duplicative disclosure requirements, as requested by industry stakeholders in the quest for cybersecurity and regulatory harmonization.
