[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15435-15436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05666]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Multistakeholder Process on Promoting Software Component 
Transparency

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) will convene a virtual meeting of a multistakeholder process on 
promoting software component transparency on April 15, 2020.

DATES: The meeting will be held on April 15, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. to 
4:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held virtually, with online slide share 
and dial-in information to be posted at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/SoftwareTransparency.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allan Friedman, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4725, Washington, DC 20230; 
telephone: (202) 482-4281; email: [email protected]. Please direct 
media inquiries to NTIA's Office of Public Affairs: (202) 482-7002; 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 15436]]

Background

    This National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
cybersecurity multistakeholder process focuses on promoting software 
component transparency. Most modern software is not written completely 
from scratch, but includes existing components, modules, and libraries 
from the open source and commercial software world. Modern development 
practices such as code reuse, and a dynamic IT marketplace with 
acquisitions and mergers, make it challenging to track the use of 
software components. The Internet of Things compounds this phenomenon, 
as new organizations, enterprises, and innovators take on the role of 
software developer to add ``smart'' features or connectivity to their 
products. While the majority of libraries and components do not have 
known vulnerabilities, many do, and the sheer quantity of software 
means that some software products ship with vulnerable or out-of-date 
components.
    The first meeting of this multistakeholder process was held on July 
19, 2018, in Washington, DC.\1\ Stakeholders presented multiple 
perspectives, and identified several inter-related work streams: 
Understanding the Problem, Use Cases and State of Practice, Standards 
and Formats, and Healthcare Proof of Concept. Since then, stakeholders 
have been discussing key issues and developing products such as 
guidance documents. NTIA acts as the convener, but stakeholders drive 
the outcomes. Success of the process will be evaluated by the extent to 
which broader findings on software component transparency are 
implemented across the ecosystem.
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    \1\ Notes, presentations, and a video recording of the July 19, 
2018, kickoff meeting are available at: https://www.ntia.doc.gov/SoftwareTransparency.
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    The first set of stakeholder-drafted documents on Software Bills of 
Materials was published by NTIA in November 2019. Those documents, and 
subsequent consensus-approved drafts from the community are published 
at: https://www.ntia.doc.gov/SBOM. The main objectives of the April 15, 
2020, meeting are to share progress from the working groups; to give 
feedback on the ongoing work around technical challenges, tooling, 
demonstrations, and awareness and adoption; and to begin discussions 
around potential guidance or playbook documents. More information about 
stakeholders' work is available at: https://www.ntia.doc.gov/SoftwareTransparency.
    Time and Date: NTIA will convene the next meeting of the 
multistakeholder process on Software Component Transparency on April 
15, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The exact time of 
the meeting is subject to change. Please refer to NTIA's website, 
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/SoftwareTransparency, for the most current 
information.
    Place: The meeting will be held virtually, with online slide share 
and dial-in information to be posted at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/SoftwareTransparency. Please refer to NTIA's website, https://www.ntia.doc.gov/SoftwareTransparency, for the most current 
information.
    Other Information: The meeting is open to the public and the press 
on a first-come, first-served basis.
    The virtual meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for real-time captioning or other auxiliary aids should be 
directed to Allan Friedman at (202) 482-4281 or [email protected] 
at least seven (7) business days prior to the meeting. Access details 
for the meeting are subject to change. Please refer to NTIA's website, 
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/SoftwareTransparency, for the most current 
information.

    Dated: March 13, 2020.
Kathy D. Smith,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-05666 Filed 3-17-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-60-P