The White House issued draft guidelines that will require federal contractors that handle sensitive data to meet certain security requirements and follow established reporting standards. The government would be able to monitor contractors if they are found to not meet the required standards.
The draft guidelines were issued to encourage uniform security standards for contractors across the government. All contractors operating government systems would be required to follow security processes established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The rules would also make companies report cyberattacks to the government and perform risk assessments of their systems.
A copy of the guidance can be accessed by clicking here.