New Cyber and Physical Security Agency Created by US
By: Jim Stickley and Tina Davis
January 19, 2019
It’s welcome news and couldn’t arrive too soon. The Department of Homeland Security announced the creation of new legislation called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) bill. It also includes the creation of a new government agency by the same name–CISA. The legislation, passed by the Senate in October of this year, was recently signed by the President and is responsible for the daunting task of providing both cyber and physical security for the US.
The department responsible for the CISA bill enforcement up until now was the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD). The NPPD will become the new CISA under this bill. The responsibilities for cyber and physical security include integrating information from law enforcement and intelligence data from Federal to local agencies, including the private sector. Through many means, the CISA bill and the new CISA department will secure federal networks and critical infrastructure by protecting them from cyber and physical threats. Among the many CISA bill priorities, chief among them is that cooperation and integration on many levels will ultimately provide the following:
“(i) identify and assess the nature and scope of terrorist threats to the homeland;
“(ii) detect and identify threats of terrorism against the United States; and
“(iii) understand those threats in light of actual and potential vulnerabilities of the homeland.
All of this is good news as we’ve seen intrusions on many government agencies in the past and due to the information that’s stored on the systems and the outdated systems many of them still use today.
According to United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen M. Nielsen, “Today’s vote is a significant step to stand up a federal government cybersecurity agency…The cyber threat landscape is constantly evolving, and we need to ensure we’re properly positioned to defend America’s infrastructure from threats digital and physical.”
The current Under Secretary of the NPPD, Christopher Krebs, says “The CISA Act passing Congress represents real progress in the national effort to improve our collective efforts in cybersecurity…Elevating the cybersecurity mission within the Department of Homeland Security, streamlining our operations, and giving NPPD a name that reflects what it actually does will help better secure the nation’s critical infrastructure and cyber platforms. The changes will also improve the Department’s ability to engage with industry and government stakeholders and recruit top cybersecurity talent.”