The attestation form information will be used by the department or agency to provide great assurances that help understand whether the software provider performed due diligence followed secure code practices which align with NIST 800-216 Secure Software Development Practices (SSDF). OMB circular M-22-18 requires CISA in consultation with OMB to develop a secure software attestation common form for all federal departments and agencies. The FTC and other agencies will collect software attestation information from software suppliers.
EO: EO 14028 Name/Subject of EO: Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity
Executive Order 14028, “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity” (E.O. 14028), requires that the Director of OMB take appropriate steps to ensure that Federal agencies comply with Guidance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the Department of Commerce. To that end, OMB issued Memorandum M-22-18, “Enhancing the Security of the Software Supply Chain through Secure Software Development Practices” (M-22-18), on September 14, 2022. That memorandum was updated on June 9, 2023, through OMB Memorandum M-23-16, “Update to Memorandum M-22-18, Enhancing the Security of the Software Supply Chain through Secure Software Development Practices” (M-23-16). M-22-18, as amended by M-23-16, provides that a Federal agency may use software subject to M-22-18’s requirements only if the producer of that software has first attested to compliance with Federal Government-specified secure software development practices drawn from the SSDF.
This self-attestation form identifies the minimum secure software development requirements a software producer must meet, and attest to meeting, before software subject to the requirements of M-22-18 and M-23-16 may be used by Federal agencies. This form is used by software producers to attest that the software they produce is developed in conformity with specified secure software development practices.