How Continuous Attestation Protects Banks from the Next SolarWinds
An operations team monitors a financial data center’s security dashboard as it flickers red. A routine software update has introduced a vulnerability, creating a risk for malicious actors to infiltrate the system undetected. This represents the daily challenge financial institutions face. Cyber threats emerge from direct attacks and within software supply chains, where a weak link can compromise an entire network. As regulatory bodies enforce stricter compliance frameworks to counter these threats, companies like Scribe Security assure financial institutions that their software remains protected from its foundation.
Understanding EO 14028 and PCI DSS
Executive Order 14028, originally issued in 2021 to enhance the nation’s cybersecurity, received a significant update. This amendment introduced stricter compliance measures for federal agencies and their contractors, emphasizing the need for robust software supply chain security, real-time threat intelligence sharing, and the adoption of advanced cybersecurity frameworks. Financial institutions and software providers working with the government must now adhere to these enhanced standards, ensuring that their cybersecurity practices are resilient against evolving threats.CISA+3NIST+3Global Policy Watch+3
Concurrently, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), while established over a decade ago, remains a cornerstone in protecting cardholder data. The standard has undergone continuous revisions to address emerging cyber threats, with the latest version emphasizing stronger authentication protocols, rigorous security testing, and comprehensive risk assessments. Compliance with PCI DSS is crucial for financial institutions to safeguard customer data and maintain trust in an increasingly complex threat landscape.
By integrating the updated directives of EO 14028 and the enduring principles of PCI DSS, financial software companies can fortify their defenses, ensure compliance, and proactively mitigate risks associated with cyber threats.
The Financial Sector’s Compliance Challenges
Financial institutions operate under extensive regulation, yet meeting compliance requirements remains challenging. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, institutions must satisfy evolving standards like Executive Order 14028 and PCI DSS.
Financial organizations face ongoing difficulties. Legacy systems, third-party software dependencies, and growing digital infrastructure create security vulnerabilities that compliance alone cannot address. Many financial firms lack immediate insight into their software supply chains, making application security assessment difficult. Reports show software supply chain attacks increased by over 300% between 2023 and 2024, heavily affecting financial institutions.
Scribe Security: The Food Safety System for Software Supply Chains
Just as the global food industry relies on stringent tracking and verification systems to prevent contamination and ensure consumer safety, financial software security requires a similarly rigorous approach. Every ingredient in a food product must be tested, verified, and tracked to prevent food poisoning—an oversight at any stage can lead to widespread harm. Likewise, in the financial software supply chain, a single weak link—an unverified open-source dependency, a compromised third-party library, or a misconfigured software component—can expose entire institutions to cyber threats.
Scribe Security acts as the food safety system for software by ensuring that every piece of code entering a financial institution’s ecosystem is verified, tamper-proof, and secure. Much like how food safety systems track the origin of ingredients to enable rapid recalls in case of contamination, Scribe Security’s real-time attestation framework continuously monitors and verifies software components, ensuring that vulnerabilities can be traced and remediated before they cause harm.
This proactive approach aligns seamlessly with compliance mandates such as Executive Order 14028 and PCI DSS, helping financial institutions not just meet regulations but prevent security breaches before they occur. With cyber threats growing at an unprecedented rate, financial organizations must move beyond reactive security models—prevention is the best protection. By integrating automated verification directly into CI/CD pipelines, Scribe Security ensures that software remains as trustworthy as a well-regulated food supply chain, protecting institutions and their customers from unseen risks.
Scribe Security’s Methods for Automating Compliance and Strengthening Security
Scribe Security helps financial institutions protect software products while maintaining regulatory compliance. The company combines continuous assurance mechanisms, automated code signing, and attestation-based security validation to help them manage cyber risks.
The company’s real-time attestation framework generates and verifies cryptographic evidence throughout software development. This ensures that each software component links to a trusted source, preventing unauthorized code in production environments. Their centralized Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) management provides financial organizations full transparency regarding third-party dependencies, limiting vulnerability risks.
Financial firms benefit from Scribe Security’s automation features when facing overwhelming compliance requirements. Instead of manually validating software security measures, organizations can integrate Scribe Security’s platform into their CI/CD pipelines, ensuring they meet Executive Order 14028, PCI DSS, and SLSA compliance requirements while maintaining development speed.
Leadership Experience: A Team of Cybersecurity Experts
Rubi Arbel leads Scribe Security, bringing extensive cryptography and cyber operations experience. The leadership team includes former founders, previous cybersecurity firm executives, and senior commanders from Israel’s defense cyber units, contributing decades of critical infrastructure security experience.
Arbel emphasizes the importance of strengthening software security throughout development. He notes that financial institutions must verify every software component’s integrity and maintain comprehensive oversight to protect against emerging threats.
Financial Software Security Outlook
Financial institutions continue to encounter complex cybersecurity challenges. Analysts expect software supply chain attacks may cost businesses over $138 billion globally by 2030, highlighting the urgent need for stronger security strategies.
Scribe Security continues developing advanced solutions to address these challenges. Through automated, evidence-based compliance and security measures, Scribe Security equips financial institutions with the tools to secure their software development lifecycle.
As cybersecurity regulations advance and financial software systems expand, solutions from companies like Scribe Security become essential for maintaining trust, operational stability, and regulatory compliance.
Photo Courtesy of: Scribe Security
