Last week, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released guidance on Security-by-Design and Security-by-Default principles for technology manufacturers that was jointly developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency, as well as cybersecurity authorities in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, and New Zealand. The guidance builds on the White

Micaela McMurrough
Micaela McMurrough has represented clients in high-stakes antitrust, patent, trade secrets, contract, and securities litigation, and other complex commercial litigation matters, and serves as co-chair of Covington’s global and multi-disciplinary Internet of Things (IoT) group. She also represents and advises domestic and international clients on cybersecurity and data privacy issues, including cybersecurity investigations and cyber incident response. Micaela has advised clients on data breaches and other network intrusions, conducted cybersecurity investigations, and advised clients regarding evolving cybersecurity regulations and cybersecurity norms in the context of international law.
In 2016, Micaela was selected as one of thirteen Madison Policy Forum Military-Business Cybersecurity Fellows. She regularly engages with government, military, and business leaders in the cybersecurity industry in an effort to develop national strategies for complex cyber issues and policy challenges. Micaela previously served as a United States Presidential Leadership Scholar, principally responsible for launching a program to familiarize federal judges with various aspects of the U.S. national security structure and national intelligence community.
Prior to her legal career, Micaela served in the Military Intelligence Branch of the United States Army. She served as Intelligence Officer of a 1,200-member maneuver unit conducting combat operations in Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star.
White House Releases National Cybersecurity Strategy
The United States National Cybersecurity Strategy, released on March 2, 2023, is poised to place significant responsibility for cybersecurity on federal contractors, technology companies, and critical infrastructure owners and operators. The Strategy articulates a series of objectives and recommended executive and legislative actions that, if implemented, would increase the cybersecurity responsibilities and requirements of…
NIST Requests Comments on Potential Significant Updates to the Cybersecurity Framework
On January 19, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) published a Concept Paper setting out “Potential Significant Updates to the Cybersecurity Framework” and requesting public feedback and comments on the proposed revisions by March 3, 2023. Originally released in 2014 and previously updated in 2018, the NIST CSF is a framework…
CISA Requests Public Comment on Implementing Regulations for the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act
On September 12, 2022, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) published a Request for Information, seeking public comment on how to structure implementing regulations for reporting requirements under the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (“CIRCIA”). Written comments are requested on or before November 14, 2022 and may be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.…
President Biden Signs Executive Order Aimed at Improving Government Cybersecurity
On May 12, the Biden Administration issued an “Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.” The Order seeks to strengthen the federal government’s ability to respond to and prevent cybersecurity threats, including by modernizing federal networks, enhancing the federal government’s software supply chain security, implementing enhanced cybersecurity practices and procedures in the federal government, and creating government-wide plans for incident response. The Order covers a wide array of issues and processes, setting numerous deadlines for recommendations and actions by federal agencies, and focusing on enhancing the protection of federal networks in partnership with the service providers on which federal agencies rely. Private sector entities, including federal contractors and service providers, will have opportunities to provide input to some of these actions.
In particular, and among other things, the Order:
- seeks to remove obstacles to sharing threat information between the private sector and federal agencies;
- mandates that software purchased by the federal government meet new cybersecurity standards;
- discusses securing cloud-based systems, including information technology (IT) systems that process data, and operational technology (OT) systems that run vital machinery and infrastructure;
- seeks to impose new cyber incident[i] reporting requirements on certain IT and OT providers and software product and service vendors and establishes a Cyber Safety Review Board to review and assess such cyber incidents and other cyber incidents, and;
- addresses the creation of pilot programs related to consumer labeling in connection with the cybersecurity capabilities of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The Order contains eight substantive sections, which are listed here, and discussed in more detail below:
- Section 2 – Removing Barriers to Sharing Threat Information
- Section 3 – Modernizing Federal Government Cybersecurity
- Section 4 – Enhancing Software Supply Chain Security
- Section 5 – Establishing a Cyber Safety Review Board
- Section 6 – Standardizing the Federal Government’s Playbook for Responding to Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities and Incidents
- Section 7 – Improving Detection of Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities and Incidents on Federal Government Networks
- Section 8 – Improving the Federal Government’s Investigative and Remediation Capabilities
- Section 9 – National Security Systems
The summaries below discuss highlights from these sections, and the full text of the Order can be found here.…
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