What the New Cybersecurity Standards Mean for Federal Contractors

The White House on Wednesday issued voluntary cyber standards aimed at defending key private networks essential to U.S. society - but it could be years before the benefits are noticeable.

While optional for industry, it is expected that the guidelines — which encourage reporting data breaches to the government — will be required for federal contractors

Government suppliers say they felt involved in the development of the standards and are satisfied that their flexibility will not be burdensome. That same flexibility has given some security observers pause, however, over concerns that "critical infrastructure" industries, like the energy and medial sectors that sustain daily living, will remain vulnerable. Read more...