Standardized cyber procurement requirements for federal info systems proposed

Federal contractors working with unclassified federal information systems would be required to comply with standardized cybersecurity procurement requirements under a proposed rule by the Biden administration amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation, according to FedScoop. Cloud-based and on-prem systems would be subjected to a different set of contract requirements, which when approved should be implemented by agencies while removing duplicative rules. "By standardizing a set of minimum cybersecurity standards to be applied consistently to [federal information systems], the proposed rule would ensure that such systems are better positioned in advance to protect from cyber threats," said the notice in the Federal Register. The notice also urged coordination between the government and its contractors in adhering to security and privacy requirements. The Biden administration will be receiving comments for the proposed rule until Dec. 4. Aside from seeking minimum cybersecurity standards for federal information systems, the administration has also proposed stronger cyber threat and incident sharing with technology providers.