White House Issues Cybersecurity Plan for Agencies and Contractors

On October 30, the White House issued a "Cybersecurity Strategy and Implementation Plan" that directs all agencies to undertake a series of specific actions to identify and address cybersecurity gaps and priorities, including the "efficient and effective acquisition and deployment of existing and emerging technology." The Plan builds upon the proposed OMB guidance issued in August and calls for several actions, including (i) enhancing personal identity verification credentials for all federal employees and contractors; (ii) exploring contract vehicles for rapid incident response services; (iii) developing recommendations for how agencies can collectively implement commercially available products and services; (iv) improving government-wide incident reporting, response, and recovery practices; and (v) identifying gaps in cyber-talent across agencies and their contractors.