US DHS releases security strategy

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has unveiled a new strategy detailing its approach to identifying and managing cybersecurity risks at a national level.

“The cyber threat landscape is shifting in real time, and we have reached a historic turning point,” said DHS Secretary Kirstjen M Nielsen.

“Digital security is now converging with personal and physical security, and it is clear that our cyber adversaries can now threaten the very fabric of our republic itself.

“That is why DHS is rethinking its approach by adopting a more comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.

The strategy has a five-part approach:

• Risk identification — assessing the evolving national risk posture to inform and prioritise risk management activities.
• Vulnerability reduction — protecting systems by reducing the vulnerabilities of agencies to ensure they achieve an adequate level of security.
• Threat reduction — countering transnational criminal organisations and sophisticated cybercriminals.
• Consequence mitigation — responding effectively to cyber incidents to thereby minimise consequences from potentially significant cyber incidents through coordinated community-wide response efforts.
• Enable cybersecurity outcomes — supporting policies and activities that enable improved global risk management and execute cybersecurity efforts in an integrated and prioritised way.
   

“In an age of brand-name breaches, we must think beyond the defence of specific assets… and confront systemic risks that affect everyone from tech giants to home owners,” said Nielsen.

Image credit: ©James Thew/Dollar Photo Club

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