DHS revives critical infrastructure cybersecurity information sharing program

The Department of Homeland Security is re-establishing a key cybersecurity information-sharing program with critical infrastructure entities. This initiative, known as the Alliance of National Councils for Homeland Operational Resilience – Critical Infrastructure (ANCHOR-CI), aims to replace the functions of the previously disbanded Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC). The program is designed to foster collaboration between government agencies and private sector owners and operators of essential services, based on information published by CyberScoop.

ANCHOR-CI will serve as a forum for federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government representatives to engage with private sector entities and critical infrastructure owners and operators. This engagement will focus on reviewing the current threat environment, discussing potential vulnerabilities, and developing recommendations for securing a more resilient critical infrastructure and cyberspace. Managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the program will include sector-specific councils, cross-sector councils for emerging threats, industry councils, and regional coordinating councils.

A notable difference from CIPAC is that ANCHOR-CI meetings will be exempt from public transparency laws due to the sensitive nature of the information shared. This move aims to repair the relationship between DHS and critical infrastructure stakeholders who felt abandoned after the disbanding of CIPAC, restoring access to federally-enabled threat intelligence and cybersecurity support.

Source: CyberScoop