§7432 National Cybersecurity Challenges

Summary

The Secretary of Commerce must set up national cybersecurity challenges to reach big cybersecurity improvements by 2028. The challenges focus on making systems much harder and costlier to attack; teaching Americans enough digital skills to stay safe online and building a skilled cybersecurity workforce; handling risks from new tech like AI, quantum, next-generation communications, autonomy, and data science; keeping online tools easy to use while improving privacy, security, and safety; and lowering risks to Federal networks and making federal incident response better. The Secretary must work with the Secretary of Homeland Security on the digital-skills and Federal-network parts. Work must begin within 180 days after January 1, 2021 (by June 30, 2021). The Commerce Department, through its Under Secretary for Standards and Technology, must run prize competitions (cash and noncash) under section 3719 or other law. The Secretary can make other agreements and must coordinate with agencies such as NSF, DHS, DARPA, OSTP, OMB, GSA, the FTC, and others. The Secretary may accept funding or help from federal, state, local, Tribal, private, and nonprofit sources, but no one has to give money or take part. An advisory council must advise on the effort’s scope and on metrics to judge prize entries, and council members may only be paid travel expenses.