By Ken Walker, President & Chief Executive Officer, Owl Cyber Defense
Government agencies are under siege from ransomware and incredibly sophisticated cybersecurity threats, such as the 2020 SolarWinds supply chain attack. To help fight back, lawmakers are introducing steps to broaden defenses through non-traditional approaches. The Supply Chain Security Training Act (SCSTA) bill, recently passed in the U.S. Senate, would extend cyber responsibilities to federal employees with supply chain risk management responsibilities, like program managers and procurement professionals.
This is a much-needed step. SCSTA directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop a training program for federal employees that will help them identify and reduce agencies’ supply chain risks. Extending security responsibilities in this way is practical and necessary to widen the resource pool for tackling cyber risks, particularly given the shortage of people with hard technical skills who are battling supply chain threats. At this point, everyone needs to stay vigilant and not expect security to be someone else’s responsibility.
While SCSTA would obligate another element among current job…
