Apple, Amazon, Google, IBM and Meta Executives to discuss software security at White House

The White House will meet with executives from major tech companies, including Google, Apple and Amazon, owned by Alphabet, on Thursday to discuss software security after the United States suffered several major cyber attacks last year.

In December, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sent a letter to CEOs of tech companies after a security vulnerability was discovered in open source software called Log4j that organizations around the world use to save data in their applications.

In the letter, Sullivan noted that such open source software is widely used and maintained by volunteers and is of “major national security concern”.

Thursday’s meeting, which will be hosted by Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cybersecurity and emerging technologies, will discuss concerns about the security of open source software and how it can be improved, the House said. Blanche in a press release.

Other top tech companies present at the meeting included IBM, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook and Oracle. Government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the Department of Commerce, will also be present.

Cyber ​​security has been a top priority for the Biden administration after several major cyber attacks last year, which exposed thousands of files held by businesses and government agencies to hackers.

A hack, which the U.S. government says was likely orchestrated by Russia, hijacked software made by SolarWinds and gave hackers access to the thousands of businesses and government offices that used its products. The hackers gained access to emails from the US Treasury, Justice, and Commerce departments and other agencies.

The increasing frequency and impact of these attacks prompted the administration to issue an executive order last year creating a review board and new software standards for government agencies.

© Thomson Reuters 2022