P I L L A R I : P R O T E C T T H E A M E R I C A N P E O P L E , T H E H O M E L A N D , A N D T H E A M E R I C A N WA Y O F L I F E ple. The government must do a better job of pro- BUILD DEFENSIBLE GOVERNMENT NETWORKS: tecting data to safeguard information and the We will use the latest commercial capabilities, shared ser- privacy of the American people. Our Federal net- vices, and best practices to modernize our Federal works must be modernized and updated. information technology. We will improve our abil- In addition, the daily lives of most Americans rely ity to provide uninterrupted and secure communications and services under all conditions. on computer-driven and interconnected technologies. As our reliance on computers and connectiv- D E T E R A N D D I S R U P T M A L I C I O U S C Y B E R AC TO R S : ity increases, we become increasingly vulnerable The Federal Government will ensure that those to cyberattacks. Businesses and individuals must charged with securing critical infrastructure have be able to operate securely in cyberspace. the necessary authorities, information, and capa- Security was not a major consideration when the bilities to prevent attacks before they affect or Internet was designed and launched. As it evolves, hold at risk U.S. critical infrastructure. The United the government and private sector must design States will impose swift and costly consequences systems that incorporate prevention, protec- on foreign governments, criminals, and other tion, and resiliency from the start, not as an after- actors who undertake significant malicious cyber thought. We must do so in a way that respects free activities. We will work with allies and friends to markets, private competition, and the limited but expand our awareness of malicious activities. A important role of government in enforcing the stronger and more resilient critical infrastructure rule of law. As we build the next generation of dig- will strengthen deterrence by creating doubt in our ital infrastructure, we have an opportunity to put adversaries that they can achieve their objectives. our experience into practice. I M P R OV E I N F O R M AT I O N S H A R I N G A N D S E N S I N G : The Internet is an American invention, and it The U.S. Government will work with our critical should reflect our values as it continues to trans- infrastructure partners to assess their informa- form the future for all nations and all genera- tional needs and to reduce the barriers to informa- tions. A strong, defensible cyber infrastructure tion sharing, such as speed and classification lev- fosters economic growth, protects our liberties, els. We will also invest in capabilities that improve and advances our nationa l security. the ability of the United States to attribute cyberatt acks. In accordance with the protection of civil Priority Actions IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE RISK: liberties and privacy, the U.S. Government will expand collaboration with the private sector so that To improve the secu- we can better detect and attribute attacks. rity and resilience of our critical infrastructure, we will assess risk across six key areas: DEPLOY LAYERED DEFENSES: national security, energy and power, banking and globally, passing through communications back- finance, health and safety, communications, and Since threats transit bones without challenge, the U.S. Government will transportation. We will assess where cyberat- work with the private sector to remediate known tacks could have catastrophic or cascading con- bad activities at the network level to improve sequences and prioritize our protective efforts, the security of all customers. Malicious activ- capabilities, and defenses accordingly. ity must be defeated within a network and not be passed on to its destination whenever possible. 13