OMB Redefines Government’s ‘Crown Jewels’

A new policy memo expands the government’s guidance for protecting high-value assets to include every agency and office and broadens the definition of “value.”

***

In government-speak, crown jewels are known as high-value assets, a designation codified in a 2016 memo from the Office of Management and Budget as “those assets, federal information systems, information and data for which an unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification or destruction could cause a significant impact to the United States’ national security interests, foreign relations, economy or to the public confidence, civil liberties or public health and safety of the American people.”

However, the 2016 memo and guidance only applied to the 23 civilian agencies covered under the CFO Act. The new guidance released Monday expands the requirement to all federal agencies—no matter the size or disposition—and updates references to the latest guidance for securing those assets once identified.