Trump Administration Releases VEP Charter to Increase Transparency

The Trump Administration released a new 14-page charter Wednesday detailing the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP), which the federal government uses to determine if, how and when it tells private companies about zero-day security flaws.

The Trump Administration released a new 14-page charter Wednesday detailing the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP), which the federal government uses to determine if, how and when it tells private companies about zero-day security flaws. White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Rob Joyce emphasized in a blog post the importance of “improved transparency” and “accountability of the process and those who operate it”.  

The unclassified document, “Vulnerabilities Equities Policy and Process for the United States Government,” sets out the workflow and equity considerations taken when the agencies involved “make determinations regarding disclosure or restriction when the USG obtains knowledge of newly discovered and not publicly known vulnerabilities in information systems and technologies,” according to the charter. The process, it adds, “balances whether to disseminate vulnerability information to the vendor/supplier in the expectation that it will be patched, or to temporarily restrict the knowledge of the vulnerability to the USG, and potentially other partners, so that it can be used for national security and law enforcement purposes, such as intelligence collection, military operations, and/or counterintelligence.”

According to Joyce, those who are part of the Equities Review Board “consider four major groups of equities: defensive equities; intelligence / law enforcement / operational equities; commercial equities; and international partnership equities.” The goal is to weigh the benefit to national security and to the national public by considering a wide range of questions across these equities. Some of the questions listed in the charter include:

  • Are threat actors likely to exploit this vulnerability, if it were known to them?
  • Is exploitation of this vulnerability alone sufficient to cause harm?
  • How likely is it that threat actors will discover or acquire knowledge of this vulnerability?
  • How much do users rely on the security of the product?
  • How severe is the vulnerability? What are the potential consequences of exploitation of this vulnerability?
  • What access or benefit does a threat actor gain by exploiting this vulnerability?
  • If the vulnerability is disclosed, how likely is it that the vendor or another entity will develop and release a patch or update that effectively mitigates it?
  • Can this vulnerability be exploited to support intelligence collection, cyber operations, or law enforcement evidence collection?
  • If a patch or update is released, how likely is it to be applied to vulnerable systems? How soon? What percentage of vulnerable systems will remain forever unpatched or unpatched for more than a year after the patch is released?
  • If USG knowledge of this vulnerability were to be revealed, what risks could that pose for USG international relations?

This move toward transparency comes after criticism toward the U.S. intelligence community for withholding details about critical vulnerabilities that have been used against businesses and consumers in attacks such as the WannaCry virus this year.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services
  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.