Conflicting definitions and timelines causing cybersecurity regulation morass, industry reps say
Conflicting definitions and timelines causing cybersecurity regulation morass, industry reps say
https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/cybersecurity-regulation-industry-feedback-gao-panel/814215/
Publish Date: 2026-03-09 15:59:00
Source Domain: www.cybersecuritydive.com
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Dive Brief:
- Inconsistent definitions, overly burdensome information demands and duplicative requirements are some of the problems that U.S. businesses face in dealing with cybersecurity regulations, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
- Critical infrastructure organizations want federal agencies to work together to streamline their rules, according to the March 5 summary of a GAO panel discussion with infrastructure representatives.
- Businesses recommended several possible solutions to the regulatory sprawl, including agencies converging on common definitions of key terms.
Dive Insight:
In response to requests from the main House and Senate committees overseeing cybersecurity, GAO convened two panels, in May and September 2025, to solicit industry input on the cybersecurity regulatory environment. The agency’s new report summarizes the findings from its Sept. 17, 2025, panel, with seven industry leaders representing the communications, energy, financial services, healthcare, information technology, transportation, and water sectors.
“Industry participants identified mostly negative impacts experienced by their industries because of multiple and overlapping cybersecurity regulations and how this has resulted in redundant work and conflicts,” GAO said in its report.
One problem participants identified was the overlapping regulatory frameworks to which many sectors are subject. Financial-services firms must comply with rules from banking regulators and the Securities and Exchange Commission, one participant said, with the resulting requirements being “duplicative and overly burdensome.”
According to GAO, another industry representative said federal…
