The Office of Management and Budget is working to boost federal cybersecurity and mitigate potential data breaches and other cyber threats through a review of agency cybersecurity programs and dissemination of contracting best practices.
Federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott said in his testimony Wednesday to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that OMB has collaborated with the President’s Management Council and other agencies as part of its oversight role.
PMC assessed cyber programs to help OMB identify risks and gaps in agencies’ policies and procedures for threat detection and incident response, enabling them to develop stronger cybersecurity programs, Scott said.
He added that the interagency work with the Federal CIO Council and Chief Acquisition Officers Council on collecting and sharing best practices for establishing cyber measures in government contracts provides guidance to agencies on policy implementations and inclusions.
“Ensuring the security of information on the federal government’s networks and systems will remain a core focus of the administration as we move aggressively to implement innovative protections and respond quickly to new challenges as they arise,” he told the House panel.
“In addition to our current strategy, we look forward to working with Congress on legislative actions that may further protect our nation’s critical networks and systems.”
