Priya Patel
TLDR:
- Conflicting government cybersecurity regulations pose a dilemma for companies, diverting resources from security to compliance.
- Example regulations like FAR and SEC rules may lead to reporting inaccuracies and increase security risks.
In the article “Conflicting government cyber mandates risk undermining US security” by Scott C. Algeier, the author highlights the issue of conflicting government cybersecurity regulations that could potentially undermine US security. The economic advantage for attackers in cybersecurity makes it more costly to defend against threats. The movement towards government-imposed regulations creates a dilemma for companies on whether to allocate resources for security or compliance.
One example is the FAR rule on Cyber Threat and Incident Reporting and Information Sharing proposed by the U.S. Department of Defense, impacting thousands of companies with federal contracts and leading to compliance costs. The proposed regulations, like the SEC’s rule on incident disclosure, raise concerns about reporting inaccuracies and increased security risks for companies.
The increasing number of regulations at the federal and state levels creates a complex environment for both security and compliance. It is crucial for the government to focus on harmonizing regulations rather than issuing new mandates to address the growing cyber threats facing the nation.
