The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released the Cyber Safety Review Board’s (CSRB) first report, which includes 19 actionable recommendations for government and industry. The recommendations from the CSRB – a public-private initiative that brings together government and industry leaders to review and assess significant cybersecurity events – address the continued risk posed by vulnerabilities discovered in late 2021 in the widely used Log4j open-source software library. These are among the most serious vulnerabilities discovered in recent years. The CSRB’s recommendations focus on driving better security in software products and enhancing public and private sector organisations’ ability to respond to severe vulnerabilities.

“At this critical juncture in our nation’s cybersecurity, when our ability to handle risk is not keeping pace with advances in the digital space, the CSRB is a new and transformational institution that will advance our cyber resilience in unprecedented ways,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N Mayorkas. “The CSRB’s first-of-its-kind review has provided us – government and industry alike – with clear, actionable recommendations that DHS will help implement to strengthen our cyber resilience and advance the public-private partnership that is so vital to our collective security.”

During its inaugural review, the CSRB engaged with nearly 80 organisations and individuals to gather insights into the Log4j event, inform findings, and develop actionable recommendations to prevent and respond more effectively to future incidents.

“The CSRB has established itself as a new, innovative, and enduring institution in the cybersecurity ecosystem,” said CSRB Chair and DHS Under Secretary for Policy Robert Silvers. “Never before have industry and government cyber leaders come together in this way to review serious incidents, identify what happened, and advise the entire community on how we can do better in the future. Our review of Log4j produced recommendations that we are confident can drive change and improve cybersecurity.”

“Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, which is why it is so critical that the CSRB is a private-public partnership,” said CSRB Deputy Chair Heather Adkins. “We hope that the independent fact-finding, analysis, and conclusions reached, as well as the recommendations, are taken in earnest as lessons-learned and instructive actions for both the near and long-term.”

“The CSRB is a remarkable public-private initiative that has produced an important blueprint for CISA – our nation’s civilian cyber defence agency – to meaningfully increase cybersecurity resilience and preparedness across our country,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly. “I look forward to implementing the CSRB’s impactful recommendations and thank the members for their time and thoughtful counsel.”

To read the report, click here.

CISA.gov/CSRB