OTI’s Statement on the Vulnerabilities Equities Process Charter
Today, Rob Joyce, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator, released a new for the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP). The VEP, established by the Obama administration, weighs various considerations to determine whether or not to disclose software vulnerabilities in the government鈥檚 possession. OTI has been a strong supporter of reforming the highly secretive process.
The following statement can be attributed to Andi Wilson, policy analyst at 麻豆果冻传媒鈥檚 Open Technology Institute:
We appreciate today鈥檚 release of documents providing the public with further information about the Vulnerabilities Equities Process. In general,聽 the more transparency, the better. However, in addition to transparency, it is important that we can trust that the VEP is restricted by rules set by Congress. This administration, or the next, could undo the steps that have been described to us today with the stroke of a pen. This announcement should not distract from the necessity to codify the VEP through legislation like the PATCH Act. Codification of the Vulnerabilities Equities Process is crucial to ensure confidence and trust in the process that evaluates the risks posed by dangerous flaws in software and hardware.