OMB to Oversee Development of Tech Modernization Plan for Executive Branch Agencies

The Office of Management and Budget will lead the creation of a multiyear lifecycle plan for modernizing technologies of federal civilian executive branch agencies under a new White House National Cybersecurity Strategy.

According to the document, the plan will prioritize eliminating legacy systems that hinder the implementation of the OMB’s zero trust architecture strategy, which directs FCEB agencies to adopt multifactor authentication and cloud security tools, encrypt their data, and manage authorization and access.

Several agencies have been using outdated systems, including the Departments of the Treasury and Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service, FedScoop reported. Government entities have already been working to replace or update their legacy systems. With the OMB multiyear plan, the modernization efforts will be given a boost to strengthen the U.S. cybersecurity posture and improve the security and resilience of digital services.

According to the cyber strategy, accelerating the modernization goals is essential because of the advanced cyber capabilities of U.S. adversaries and state-sponsored actors conducting espionage and stealing intellectual property.

Malicious actors use various methods such as ransomware attacks which, according to the strategy, are now considered national security threats rather than criminal activities because they disrupt critical services and businesses.