October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global effort to promote the importance of secure technologies. Each year, technology plays a larger role in our lives, helping people keep in touch with friends and family, businesses operate securely and efficiently, and the global economy grow in an inclusive manner. During the COVID-19 pandemic, technology meant personal and societal functions could continue as much of daily life shifted to a virtual environment.
Software is central to this digital transformation and is driving our future, powering innovations like 5G wireless networks, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchains, and AI. To secure the products and services we depend on every day, and to ensure new technologies are developed securely, businesses and policymakers must prioritize cybersecurity.
As policymakers around the world address cybersecurity issues, BSA last week launched an agenda outlining priorities for governments to consider in the coming year. Strengthening Trust, Safeguarding Digital Transformation: BSA’s 2021 Cybersecurity Agenda builds on our work to promote responsible software, IoT, and supply chain security practices and policies.
The agenda sets forth policy recommendations governments around the world should examine, focusing on five key themes:
- Robust software security, since software is the foundation of digital technologies;
- Cybersecurity for emerging technologies, to ensure future innovations are developed and deployed securely;
- Modernization of government IT and cybersecurity, because by improving their own IT and cybersecurity, governments can improve the entire cybersecurity ecosystem;
- Interoperable cybersecurity laws and policies across borders that avoid inconsistent requirements and create real cybersecurity gains; and
- An effective cybersecurity workforce, which is critical to maintaining trust in data services.
Specifically, BSA supports:
- Evaluating software security and designing policies using a lens of continuous improvement that considers the development process, built-in capabilities, and lifecycle management.
- Developing laws and policies that are risk-based and appropriately tailored to allow for innovation, as well as to deliver concrete cybersecurity improvement. Policies should manage cybersecurity risks to the supply chain and IoT through a holistic approach, built on best practices and international standards where applicable.
- Investing in the long-term security of government IT and cybersecurity at all levels, including by migrating to cloud services, and implementing strong identity and access management practices, such as using zero trust architecture and multifactor authentication. This will, over the medium and long term, save resources and better protect citizens.
- Aligning laws and policies so that, rather than spending resources on compliance, organizations can invest to improve cybersecurity.
- Broadening opportunities, improving training programs, and expediting the development of the diverse workforce needed to secure our shared future.
Digital transformation across industries is accelerating. As more people and devices connect, and as more businesses in every sector rely on technology, driving trust in our digital ecosystem is imperative. Governments and organizations must invest in robust cybersecurity policies and practices to strengthen security today and build a secure and inclusive future. We look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders across the globe to accomplish these goals.
To read BSA’s updated cybersecurity agenda, visit: https://www.bsa.org/policy-filings/strengthening-trust-safeguarding-digital-transformation-bsas-cybersecurity-agenda