Software Update as a Mechanism for Resilience and Security

Software update is an important mechanism by which security changes and improvements are made in software, and this seemingly simple concept encompasses a wide variety of practices, mechanisms, policies, and technologies. To explore the landscape further, the Forum on Cyber Resilience hosted a workshop featuring invited speakers from government, the private sector, and academia. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Table of Contents

• Front Matter
• Workshop Introduction
• 1 Policy Considerations: The Intersection of Public Values and Private Infrastructure
• 2 Technical Considerations for Secure Software Updates
• 3 Microsoft's Approach to Software Updates
• 4 Update Issues for Open Source Software
• 5 Cisco's Approach to Software Updates
• 6 Ensuring Robust Firmware Updates
• 7 Updates in the Consumer Electronics Industry
• 8 Software Updates in Automotive Electronic Control Units
• 9 The NIST Perspective on Software Updates
• 10 Protecting Consumers from Software Update Risks
• 11 Discussion
• Afterword
• Appendixes
• Appendix A: Workshop Agenda and Participants List
• Appendix B: Steering Committee Biographies
• Appendix C: Speaker Biographies
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