Industry News – 3-5-21

Lack of centralized leadership at the top is at least partially to blame for the federal government regressing when it comes to cybersecurity. So said a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released on Tuesday. The report was the focus of bi-cameral committees in Congressional hearings this week as interested parties await President Biden’s nomination of a national cyber director within the executive branch. In addition to the leadership issue, the GAO report noted that none of the 24 federal agencies it reviewed ensured that its employees had the requisite cybersecurity skills and highlighted other potential cyber security risks including the census process, the U.S. Postal Service’s lack of financial viability and the monitoring criteria for the Environmental Protection Agency.