A Department of Homeland Security official has proposed creating a government-wide security authorization service that would validate mobile applications before federal staff can download the apps, Nextgov reported Wednesday.Aliya Sternstein writes that Roberta Stempfley, DHS deputy assistant secretary for cybersecurity strategy and emergency communications, said agencies must develop a standardized model to ensure that mobile tools being used across the government are protected.
Stempfley recommended that agencies repurpose the FedRAMP approach for certifying mobile devices to also authorize apps.
“Instead of having each department do its own certification for mobile applications, we create a joint model that enables all of the departments to express their unique department requirements — and find the common ground,” Stempfley, added.
The Defense Information Services Agency is responsible for screening military apps, while the DHS uses a collaborative tracking system to alert agency employees of software bugs, according to Nextgov.
