NIST report advocates cybersecurity standardization

On August 10, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) released their draft Report on Strategic U.S. Government Engagement in International Standardization to Achieve U.S. Objectives for Cybersecurity. In 2014, NIST was tasked with collaborating with U.S. federal government agencies to ensure interagency coordination in “the development of international technical standards related to information system security” and to “ensure consultation with appropriate private sector stakeholders.”

Since 2014, NIST, along with an interagency working group, has prepared a draft report that lays out objectives and recommendations for enhancing the U.S. government’s coordination and participation in the development and use of international standards for cybersecurity. NIST’s draft report outlines four strategic objectives for the development and use of international standards for cybersecurity and eight recommendations to help the U.S. federal government fulfill these objectives.

The international objectives involve national and economic security and public safety, ensuring standards and assessment tools are technically sound, facilitating international trade, and promoting innovation and competition. The recommendations to the U.S. government focus on cooperation and collaboration across agencies, the private sector, and international partners. The recommendations to the U.S. government also promote federal agency participation in international standards development and federal use of international standards and assessment schemes.

Public comments on the draft report are due by September 24, 2015.

For more information on the report, please follow the links below.
Interagency Report Advocates Support for International Cybersecurity Standardization, National Institute of Standards and Technology
DRAFT Report on Strategic U.S. Government Engagement in International Standardizaiton to Achieve U.S. Objectives for Cybersecurity, National Institute of Standards and Technology