Washington aims to get cyber collaboration back on track

After more than a year without a formal framework for government-industry coordination on critical infrastructure cybersecurity, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finally unveiled the Alliance of National Councils for Homeland Operational Resilience-Critical Infrastructure (ANCHOR-CI) on July 1.

ANCHOR-CI comes at a critical time, as Chinese cyber actors are seeking persistent access to U.S. critical infrastructure. U.S. officials have warned that these intrusions are intended not only for espionage but also to provide options to disrupt critical services during a future crisis. Trusted forums for rapidly exchanging threat information and coordinating responses are essential for thwarting the worst-case scenarios.

For nearly two decades, the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) enabled critical infrastructure owners and operators to exchange sensitive information with the federal government about physical and cyber risks. The CIPAC structure provided exemptions from certain Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements, like those requiring meetings be open to the public, so that companies could candidly discuss cyber risks.

Read more at Foundation for Defense of Democracies