Cyber Defense Laws Require Comprehensive Security Solutions

Let’s look specifically at the initiative to strengthen Japan’s public-private collaboration. Key elements of this strategy include:

• Under incident reporting and asset management by critical infrastructure operators: Critical infrastructure operators must notify the relevant minister when they introduce specified important electronic computers, who then informs the Prime Minister. If they become aware of any incidents or potential causes related to these electronic computers, they are required to report to both the relevant minister and the Prime Minister.
• Information sharing with users of electronic computers: The Prime Minister will communicate and share the necessary information to prevent damage caused by cyberattacks.
• Strengthening vulnerability management: The Prime Minister and the relevant minister may share information about vulnerabilities in critical electronic computers or software with their suppliers. If such vulnerabilities affect systems used by critical infrastructure operators, the minister may also request the suppliers to take necessary measures to prevent cyberattack-related damage.

Certainly, these actions will play a role in mitigating the impact of critical cyberattacks. Moreover, strengthened collaboration between the public and private sectors will not only enhance the protection of governmental IT infrastructures but also ensure a more resilient response to and faster recovery from evolving cyberthreats. This joint effort reflects a proactive approach to national cybersecurity and reinforces the foundation of trust and shared responsibility needed to safeguard vital systems.

Among cybersecurity incidents, application security poses significant challenges for the public sector worldwide, many of which struggle with limited budgets, growing cybersecurity threats, and outdated infrastructure. According to F5 Labs, web application attacks remain the leading entry point for successful data breaches. The consequences of such attacks often result in substantial costs that can jeopardize the success of an agency’s mission. Implementing proactive security measures across multicloud can also be challenging. A growing number of agencies are starting to share information across multiple networks; consistent security policy management is going to be a critical component. 

F5 offers versatile public sector cybersecurity IT solutions that align with national defense strategy by addressing key areas such as public-private collaboration, multicloud security, vulnerability management, and resilience against sophisticated cyberthreats. 

• Zero trust through identity aware access: Streamline and secure user authentication while managing access to critical public sector applications through a centralized access proxy, ensuring compliance, auditability, and operational efficiency.
• Privileged user access for government agencies: Reduce the risk of compromised credentials and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive public sector systems and citizen data.
• Mitigate application vulnerabilities: Safeguard public sector applications across any architecture with resilient security designed to withstand a wide range of evolving cyberthreats.
• Discover, govern, and protect APIs: Securely manage APIs across government data centers and cloud environments with a simple, fast, and scalable multicloud architecture—ensuring service continuity, compliance, and citizen trust.
• Mitigate bots and abuse: Protect government websites, mobile apps, and APIs from malicious bots—while allowing beneficial bots to support public services and digital engagement.
• Inspect encrypted traffic for threat analysis: Most malware and data exfiltration hide within SSL/TLS encryption. Decrypt and orchestrate to make your controls more effective.

F5 solutions empower public sector organizations to secure applications and infrastructure, optimize performance, and actively combat advanced cyberthreats. As Neill Smith, Head of Infrastructure for the Scottish government’s Agricultural and Rural Economy Directorate, told us, “You can’t put a price on security. [With F5], we have detailed control and visibility over our apps, without increasing complexity. F5 provides full web app and API protection as well as individual security services.”