Executive Summary
The U.S. government has initiated two major directives in an important move to strengthen national cybersecurity and privacy.
Firstly, the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) has released a report urging software development companies to adopt memory-safe programming languages to mitigate the risk of vulnerabilities.
Secondly, President Biden has issued an Executive Order to prevent the mass transfer of Americans’ personal data to countries deemed a threat to national security.
These steps reflect the administration’s commitment to U.S. national cybersecurity and privacy enhancements amidst growing digital threats.
Shift to Memory-Safe Programming Languages
The US government urges software developers to adopt memory-safe programming languages to reduce vulnerabilities as part of U.S. national cybersecurity and privacy enhancements.
Memory-safe languages, like Python, Java, and Rust, prevent errors that lead to security breaches by managing memory operations safely. This includes protecting against buffer overflows and other memory-related vulnerabilities.
For thirty-five years, memory safety vulnerabilities have plagued us, but change is possible,
says Anjana Rajan, Assistant National Cyber Director.
This initiative encourages software development companies to use languages that inherently reduce risks, essential for bolstering digital security.
ONCD Report: “Back to the Building Blocks: A Path Toward Secure and Measurable Software”
The report underscores the need for the suppliers to adopt memory-safe programming. Accordingly, it practices as part of U.S. national cybersecurity and privacy enhancements.
Key points include:
- The critical importance of memory safety in programming languages as a means to reduce vulnerabilities.
- The role of hardware architecture and formal methods in complementing programming languages to enhance cybersecurity.
- The necessity for better cybersecurity quality metrics and the call for research to improve software measurability.
- The need for collaboration across government, private sector, and academia to tackle cybersecurity challenges.
Blocking Mass Transfer of Personal Data to High-Risk Nations
This directive prohibits the large-scale transfer of personal data to countries considered a national security threat to the U.S. Its goal is to protect sensitive information of Americans from exploitation and misuse by foreign powers. The Executive Order specifically addresses data flows to high-risk countries, such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. It is designed to protect personal and governmental data from surveillance and privacy breaches.
Experts and policymakers welcome the directive as a crucial step in strengthening US national cybersecurity and privacy enhancements. Moreover, the directive requires federal agencies to set clear protection measures for sensitive data.
Conversely, the directive has faced various criticisms and concerns. Some analysts doubt its effectiveness due to implementation, enforcement, and global data flow monitoring challenges. There are also concerns that the order, aimed at preventing foreign adversaries’ access to sensitive data, could instead encourage future actions.
