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Last month, two senior officials from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Bob Lord and Lauren Zabierek, resigned from their respective positions. These experts were leading the agency’s flagship initiative, “Secure by Design,” launched in April 2023. The initiative aimed to shift cybersecurity responsibility from end-users to technology manufacturers, encouraging them to integrate security from the product design phase.
Their departure follows recent incidents that weakened U.S. cybersecurity (see sources below). This raises uncertainty about the future of “Secure by Design,” which was closely tied to the Biden administration’s cybersecurity strategy.
The acting CISA director confirmed that the initiative would continue despite the resignations. Industry groups have urged CISA to maintain momentum and build on the foundation laid by Lord and Zabierek.
Sources:
- CISA’s Secure by Design Initiative
- Cybersecurity Challenges Facing the U.S.
- Industry Response to Leadership Changes
You Should Know:
1. Secure by Design Principles in Practice
Secure by Design (SbD) emphasizes integrating security early in the development lifecycle. Here are key steps to implement it:
- Threat Modeling: Use tools like Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool or OWASP Threat Dragon to identify risks early.
- Code Security: Use static and dynamic analysis tools:
Static Analysis with Bandit (Python) pip install bandit bandit -r /path/to/your/code Dynamic Analysis with OWASP ZAP zap-cli quick-scan -o -r report.html http://example.com
Least Privilege Enforcement: Restrict permissions in Linux/Windows:
Linux: Restrict user permissions chmod 750 /critical/directory Windows: Set minimal privileges via PowerShell Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Restricted -Scope CurrentUser
2. Hardening Systems for Secure Deployment
- Linux Kernel Hardening:
Enable kernel protections echo "kernel.exec-shield=1" >> /etc/sysctl.conf sysctl -p
- Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC):
Generate a base policy New-CIPolicy -Level FilePublisher -FilePath "C:\TrustedApps.xml" -ScanPath "C:\Program Files"
3. Monitoring & Incident Response
- Log Analysis with ELK Stack:
Install Filebeat for log forwarding sudo apt-get install filebeat sudo filebeat setup --pipelines --modules system
- Automated Incident Response with TheHive:
docker pull thehiveproject/thehive:latest docker run -d -p 9000:9000 thehiveproject/thehive
What Undercode Say:
The “Secure by Design” initiative is critical for reducing vulnerabilities at the source. While leadership changes may cause disruptions, the principles remain vital. Organizations should adopt:
– Proactive Security: Use tools like Anchore for container scanning:
anchore-cli image scan docker.io/library/nginx:latest
– Zero Trust Frameworks: Implement SPIFFE/SPIRE for identity management.
– Automated Compliance Checks:
OpenSCAP for Linux sudo oscap xccdf eval --profile stig-rhel8-disa /usr/share/xml/scap/ssg/content/ssg-rhel8-ds.xml
Expected Output: A resilient, security-first infrastructure minimizing post-deployment patches.
References:
Reported By: Piveteau Pierre – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
