President Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity will hold its final public meeting this month, which will prepare policy recommendations for the transition to the new Trump administration. President Obama created the Commission to improve the nation’s cybersecurity posture with both short and long-term strategies in mind, including an industry-government partnership on voluntary standards. The presidential group has also been working hard to finish the Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) which includes a government-coordinated response plan for significant cyber-attacks.
President Obama has been vocal about his pledge of a peaceful transition, something he credits the Bush administration with mastering in his first days in office. They “could have not been more professional or gracious” in assisting the Obama team during the transition. While President-elect Trump has promised to undo many of Obama’s major policies, both the President and President-elect have stressed the need for better cybersecurity practices and more funding for the federal government regarding cyber. As a result, the White House hopes it can help “guide the incoming Trump administration on advancing cybersecurity polices that build on the progress of an industry-government partnership on voluntary standards, while going further to address emerging and evolving threats,” according to a recent Inside Cybersecurity article. The Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity will hold a call-in meeting on November 21 asking for public input and will address their progress on developing policy recommendations for the transition.