New Government-Industry Effort to Help US Tackle Cyber Incidents

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has announced an effort aimed at minimizing the risk of cyberattacks and better coordinating defensive actions in case a cyber incident occurs.

The Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative is an initiative that will see participation from CISA stakeholders and partners from the private sector.

CISA Director Jen Easterly said at a recent Black Hat security conference that the JCDC will take a proactive approach to cyber defense.

The effort comes after the U.S. faced several high-profile cyberattacks that affected government organizations and private companies, Nextgov reported.

Initially, the group’s focus will be to tackle ransomware and work on a framework that will coordinate incidents that impact cloud service providers, Easterly said in a statement. She noted that CISA’s industry partners share the same commitment to defending U.S. national critical functions from cyber intrusions.

The first technology companies that joined the effort include Microsoft, Google Cloud, Verizon, Amazon Web Services, CrowdStrike and AT&T. Government partners in the initiative include the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the U.S. Cyber Command and the FBI.

The JCDC members will share insights, coordinate defensive cyber operations and perform joint exercises to enhance activities supporting cyber defense.

According to Rep. Jim Langevin, a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, the JCDC is an “aggressive” and “forward-thinking” solution to the country’s problem of cyber threats.

In a statement, Langevin, a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, noted that the JCDC will bring together CSC recommendations about planning, intelligence fusion and cybersecurity operations “in a visionary way.”