Frank J. Cilluffo & George Barnes
Unifying the Regulatory Landscape: Coherence for National Security
The United States is facing a critical challenge when it comes to the harmonization of our cybersecurity regulatory frameworks. This challenge goes beyond the desire for bureaucratic streamlining in that it plays a critical role in ensuring the nation’s cybersecurity resilience. Further, harmonization will also better promote innovation and help us maintain our global competitive edge. U.S. cybersecurity regulation is a patchwork of laws, regulations, rules, and standards that have evolved incrementally over time in response to specific crises or by addressing more narrow sector-specific needs. This fragmented approach has led to a complex, overly burdensome, and sometimes contradictory regulatory environment that can hinder our collective cybersecurity efforts.
Several factors drive the need for harmonization. First, the nature of cyber threats is inherently cross-sectoral and transnational. A vulnerability in one sector can quickly become a point of exploitation that affects multiple industries and even national security. Second, the rapid pace of technological advancement often outstrips the ability of traditional legislative and regulatory processes to keep up, leading to outdated or ineffective rules. Third, the increasing interconnectedness of our digital infrastructure means that inconsistencies in cybersecurity practices across different sectors or jurisdictions can create systemic vulnerabilities.
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