Cyber Round Up: Cybersecurity Strategy Revised, Cyber Deal Expected between China and Germany, South Africa Creates Cybersecurity Hub

• Cybersecurity Strategy Revised (GovinfoSecurity):  A cybersecurity strategy and implementation plan (“CSIP”) has been issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”), GovinfoSecurity reports.  The CSIP aims to modernize the cybersecurity practices of federal civilian agencies, according to the article.  The memorandum released by the OMB specifies that the CSIP will strengthen cybersecurity through five objectives:
  • Prioritize identification and protection of high value information and assets;
  • Timely detection of and rapid response to cyber incidents;
  • Rapid recovery from incidents when they occur and accelerated adoption of lessons learned from the Sprint assessment;
  • Recruitment and retention of the most highly-qualified cybersecurity workforce talent the Federal Government can bring to bear; and

Efficient and effective acquisition and deployment of existing and emerging technology.The full GovinfoSecurity article can be found here.  The PDF of the OMB CSIP memorandum can be found here.

• Cyber Deal Expected between China and Germany (International Business Times):  China and Germany are reportedly in the process of developing a cybersecurity agreement that mirrors the agreement made between China and the U.S. in October, according to an article by IBT.  Although details of the potential agreement remain unknown, it has been reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed that a deal will be reach “very quickly”, the article continued.  Germany is China’s largest trading partner in the European Union, and a deal such has this may serve as a step that can be built upon, a European cybersecurity expert told Bloomberg, reported the article.  The full article can be found here.
• South Africa Creates Cybersecurity Hub (DefenceWeb):  According to an article in DefenceWeb, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (“CSIR”) has launched a Cybersecurity Hub designed provide a cooperation platform between industry, government, and civil society.  The Hub will serve as an “information centre” where stakeholders can find information to strengthen their cybersecurity, the article continued.  Further, the Hub will track cyber attacks and warn stakeholders of cyber threats using the information gathered, according to the article.  The full article can be found here.