Promoting Good Cyber Hygiene Act of 2017

To provide for the identification and documentation of best practices for cyber hygiene by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Promoting Good Cyber Hygiene Act of 2017 2. Cyber hygiene best practices (a) Establishment Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall establish a list of best practices for effective and usable cyber hygiene— (1) in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission and the Secretary of Homeland Security; (2) after notice and an opportunity for public comment; and (3) for use by— (A) the Federal Government; (B) the private sector; and (C) any person utilizing an information system or device. (b) Best practices A best practice on the list established under subsection (a) shall— (1) be a simple, basic control that has the greatest effect in defending against a common cybersecurity threat or risk; (2) utilize a technology that is commercial, off-the-shelf, and based on international standards; and (3) to the degree practicable, be based on and consistent with the Cybersecurity Framework contained in Executive Order 13636, entitled Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (c) Voluntary practices A best practice on the list established under subsection (a) shall be considered voluntary and is not intended to be construed as mandatory. (d) Baseline The Director shall encourage the use of the best practices as the baseline provided by the list established under subsection (a) is encouraged to be not only used but improved upon by any entity including— (1) the Federal Government; (2) the private sector; and (3) any person utilizing an information system or device. (e) Annual updates Not less frequently than once each year, the Director shall review and update the list established under subsection (a). (f) Public availability (1) In general The Director shall publish the list of best practices established under subsection (a) in a clear and concise format. (2) Availability The Federal Trade Commission and the Small Business Administration shall make such list of best practices prominently available on the public Internet website of each respective agency. (g) Other federal cybersecurity requirements Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede, alter, or otherwise affect any cybersecurity requirements applicable to any Federal agency. (h) Considerations In carrying out subsection (a), the head of each agency of the Federal Government shall consider the benefit, as pertaining to cyber hygiene, of an emerging technology or process capable of providing any enhanced security protection, including— (1) multi-factor authentication; (2) data loss prevention; (3) micro-segmentation; (4) data encryption; (5) cloud services; (6) anonymization; (7) software patching and maintenance; (8) phishing education; and (9) other standard cybersecurity measures to achieve trusted security in the infrastructure. (i) Study on emerging concepts To promote effective cyber hygiene for the internet of things (1) Internet of Things defined The term Internet of Things (2) Study required The Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Trade Commission, shall conduct a study on cybersecurity threats relating to the Internet of Things. (3) Matters studied As part of the study required by paragraph (2), the Secretary shall— (A) assess cybersecurity threats relating to the Internet of Things; (B) assess the effect such threats may have on the cybersecurity of the information systems and networks of the Federal Government (except for the information systems and networks of the Department of Defense and the intelligence community (as defined in Section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 ( 50 U.S.C. 3003 (C) develop recommendations for addressing such threats. (4) Report to congress Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (A) complete the study required by paragraph (2); and (B) submit to Congress a report that contains the findings of the Secretary with respect to such study and the recommendations developed by the secretary under paragraph (3)(C).

Summary: Promoting Good Cyber Hygiene Act of 2017 This bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish for use by the federal government, the private sector, and any person utilizing an information system or device a list of best practices to defend against common cybersecurity threats or risks.  The Department of Homeland Security must assess cybersecurity threats, the effect of such threats on the federal government's information systems and networks, and submit recommendations for addressing such threats.