Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity — What is 'Critical Software' and how should it be secured? (part 1)

On May 12, 2021, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), under Executive Order 14028, initiated efforts to enhance U.S. cybersecurity by defining "critical software" and providing guidelines for its security, primarily targeting federal agencies but also expected to influence the broader software industry. Critical software, as defined by NIST, includes software with elevated privileges, direct access to network resources, control over data access, or those operating outside normal trust boundaries, making them potential targets for cyber threats. The guidelines emphasize protecting such software through measures like multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and network segmentation, and outline practices for software inventory maintenance, patch management, and incident response. The initiative aims to help businesses protect digital assets, particularly internet-facing applications, by fostering a robust cybersecurity framework, with future articles set to explore vendor testing standards for software source code.

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