The collection of this information
regarding to discovered security vulnerabilities by individuals,
organizations, and companies is needed to fulfil the congressional
mandate in Section 101 of the SECURE Technologies Act regarding a
Vulnerability Disclosure Policy. In addition, without the ability
to collect information on newly discovered security vulnerabilities
in DHS and other Federal Agency information systems.
DHS and Federal
cybersecurity agencies are working to address the recently
discovered SolarWinds hack on Federal agencies and organizations
around the world. While DHS had previously obtained approval to
collect this information on its own behalf, recent cyber attacks
exploiting vulnerabilities have exemplified the need to have this
capability government-wide. In 2020, a major cyberattack, nicknamed
the SolarWinds cyberattack, by a group backed by a foreign
government penetrated thousands of organizations globally including
multiple parts of the United States federal government, leading to
a series of data breaches. The cyberattack and data breach were
reported to be among the worst cyber-espionage incidents ever
suffered by the U.S., due to the sensitivity and high profile of
the targets and the long duration (eight to nine months) in which
the hackers had access. Affected organizations worldwide included
NATO, the U.K. government, the European Parliament, Microsoft and
others.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.