White House Cyber Commission May Endorse Security Ratings System for Software

Orhan Cam/Shutterstock.com

Legendary Hacker "Mudge" expects to release results from security tests of 100,000 software programs as early as July.

Early results from consumer safety tests of about 100,000 software applications will be released as early as next month from the lab of famed cybersecurity whiz Mudge. 

Mudge, whose given name is Peter Zatko, launched the Cyber Independent Testing Lab after receiving a call from the Obama administration last summer, he said.

Now, the lab is ready to unveil preliminary ratings, after scrutinizing bugs (really developer errors) in tens of thousands of applications, he told Nextgov. Meanwhile, a White House commission already has suggested it will endorse the idea of product cybersecurity-ratings in recommendations due in December for the next president. 

The software tools under the lab’s microscope include everything from web browsers to industrial control systems, Mudge said. 

» Get the best federal technology news and ideas delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here.

The CITL consumer guidance is expected to look more like nutrition labels than mere Underwriters Lab (UL)-like markings. Think of a Consumer Reports for software security that would let users ranging from holiday shoppers to information security managers compare and contrast products.

A UL-like body for software integrity is "something that the commissioners have really been discussing and thinking though to the point that it’s, 'Can we put forth some type of recommendation that looks at that?'" Kiersten Todt, executive director of the White House Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, told a federal advisory board last week. 

The Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board, while receptive to the general concept, cautioned that any sort of cybersecurity scores could create a false sense of security.

For example, cybercriminals have discovered ways to intercept seemingly tamper-proof communications on HTTPS webpages that sport those green padlocks, one board member noted.

According to Todt, the CITL rating regime doesn’t claim this is “a safe product,” and “it doesn't say it's going to prevent breaches,” rather, it indicates the level of risk the software poses.

Whenever conversations surrounding a UL or Good Housekeeping seal of approval for cyber come up, so do concerns about the footnotes underneath the symbol.

“It’s like the warning announcements on a drug commercial: 'Take it. It will make your feel better, but it could also make you die. It could also give you a heart attack,’” Todt said. It’s important to “ensure that the fine print doesn’t completely change the meaning of what a star is.”

Not a Hack-proof Certification or Seal of Approval

Last fall, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon's emerging tech division, contracted CITL to evaluate the viability of a new organization that would screen software safety the way Underwriters Laboratories screens electronic device safety.

The study is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, DARPA spokesman Jared Adams told Nextgov earlier this week.

Mudge, a one-time DARPA researcher, most recently tinkered with code inside Google's Advanced Technologies and Projects Group. 

On June 29 of last year, he tweeted, "Goodbye Google ATAP, it was a blast. The White House asked if I would kindly create a #CyberUL, so here goes!"

At the time, there was some confusion as to whether this would be a new federal agency or part of the actual UL company.

Today, Mudge prefers to liken his testing model to the Consumer Reports approach to inspections.  

The CITL rating system "is most certainly not an opaque seal of approval” and there is no focus on certifications, he stressed.

The forthcoming “software quality and inherent vulnerability” results are based on a wide range of heuristics attackers themselves use to differentiate hard targets from soft targets, Mudge said.

Scores for Windows, Linux and OS X will be revealed in the upcoming preview.

Two counterintuitive findings: Sometimes, the more secure product is actually the cheaper one. Often, a security-focused product is the most vulnerable product.

The Underwriters Lab has its roots in 1890s assessments of lamp adjusters and fire alarm boxes, among other electrical appliances. Proposals for a CyberUL date back to a 1999 “call for action” by L0pht Heavy Industries, a hacker collective which counted Mudge among its members

In May 1998, way before Gmail or online banking became a thing, the L0pht crew testified on Capitol Hill, with Mudge seated front and center, about the looming dangers of bad internet security. 

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.