GAO Report: ONCD Must Adopt Performance Measures, Cost Estimates for Cybersecurity Strategy

The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Office of the National Cyber Director adopt performance measures and come up with a budget for the implementation of the White House’s National Cybersecurity Strategy.

According to a GAO audit, the March 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy and July 2023 Implementation Plan have so far achieved four out of the desired characteristics. Among those fully addressed are problem definition and risk assessment; integration and implementation; and purpose, scope and methodology.

The auditing agency conducted the audit because it has long considered cybersecurity a high-risk area. The goal of the report was to assess whether the strategy and implementation have met the desirable characteristics of a national strategy, GAO . gov reported.

The Biden-Harris administration issued the National Cybersecurity Strategy in March 2023, aiming to transfer the burden of cybersecurity to capable organizations that are best positioned to address the risks.

In July 2023, it released the strategy’s implementation plan, distributing 65 counter-threat activities to 18 federal agencies.