CISA, DHS Seek to Promote Cybersecurity Awareness Through October

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said that CISA will be undertaking a variety of initiatives throughout October aimed at promoting cyber hygiene, cultivating diversity in the cyber workforce and reinforcing technology supporting critical infrastructure as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Easterly, a 2022 Wash100 awardee, explained that 2022’s iteration of the event emphasizes the role of people in improving cyber resilience, DHS said.

CISA is spearheading efforts to mitigate risks to U.S. cyber and federal infrastructure as a component of the Department of Homeland Security. According to Alejandro Mayorkas, DHS secretary, every branch of the department is working to support national cybersecurity by forging connections with the private sector and raising public awareness on safeguarding one’s cyber footprint. Major initiatives include the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative and the recently established Cyber Safety Review Board.

Experts said that JCDC, a public-private collaboration intended to coordinate cyber threat detection and response across federal, state and local organizations as well as commercial entities, aided in the mitigation of the Log4j security exploit earlier in 2022.

In September, DHS kicked off the State and Local Cybersecurity Program, a new means to direct funds to state, local and territorial governments for the enhancement of their information system and critical infrastructure security. The fund would provide a total of $1.2 billion to eligible entities over a four-year period.