National Cyber Director Discusses Plans to Hold Software Makers Accountable for Flawed Code

National Cyber Director Harry Coker has revealed that his office is developing liability regimes to hold software makers responsible for flawed code.

He told attendees of a recent Information Technology Industry Council conference that the Office of the National Cyber Director aims to figure out software measurability issues that make it difficult to understand code quality, The Record reported.

Another priority is to encourage public and private-sector coders to ensure their secure-by-design efforts account for memory-safe programming languages, which, according to Coker, are major targets among hackers.

The ONCD will issue a paper on memory safety and software measurability “in the next few weeks,” Coker said.

Coker went on to warn that China is hacking into U.S. critical infrastructure to disrupt military and citizen activity.

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, recently told lawmakers that her organization is providing critical infrastructure operators with guidance and resources to address Chinese cyberthreats.