Threat Intelligence, Critical Infrastructure Security

Mitre unveils innovation centers for public health data, critical infrastructure concerns

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Mitre recently unveiled two new innovation centers focused on public health data and critical infrastructure. (Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

Mitre recently announced it’s launched two innovation organizations: one for critical infrastructure, the other for public health data. The aim is to improve its focus on cybersecurity threats and find new approaches to public health challenges.

Both the Cyber Infrastructure Protection Innovation Center and Clinical Insights Innovation Cell fall under Mitre Labs, which was established last year for applied science and advanced technology research to shape the future of U.S. scientific and economic leadership.

Charles Clancy, senior vice president and general manager of Mitre Labs, explained the two additions will support Mitre with improving its partnership with critical infrastructure organizations and entities tasked with genomic data research to better “tackle the problems of infectious disease and the promise of precision medicine.”

The Clinical Insights Innovation Cell will work with public and private sector stakeholders to tackle critical healthcare challenges, while providing clinical and data science leadership and insight and AI approaches to the industry’s biggest challenges.

The center brings together physicians, data scientists, informaticists, and leaders in digital health, clinical research trials, and AI. The goal is to “fundamentally change how we perform clinical trials in the U.S., making our health systems more responsive and resilient.

Brian Anderson, M.D., MITRE’s chief digital health physician and senior manager for the innovation cell, explained the center will bring together innovators to “develop the platforms and solutions that tackle today’s most critical health challenges."

“Harnessing the research potential of medical data creates infinite opportunities to build a safer, healthier, and more resilient society,” said Anderson, in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Cyber Infrastructure Protection Innovation Center will support private and public sector collaborations with a better understanding of operational technology and adversarial behavior, while working to protect infrastructure organizations’ operational tech, industrial control systems, and cyber-physical systems.

The establishment of the centers are a direct response to the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack and the overall increase in threat actor targeting critical systems, explained George Roelke, acting director of the Cyber Infrastructure Protection Innovation Center, in the release.

“As critical infrastructure is primarily in the hands of the private sector, our new Cyber Infrastructure Protection Innovation Center will work across industry and government to better understand cyber threats and identify practical steps to make their operations more secure,” he added. 

The hope is that Mitre and its partnership can address safety, regulatory, and national security issues to increase cyber resiliency.

The groups join Mitre’s Ransomware Resource Center focused on the healthcare sector. Margie Zuk, senior principal cybersecurity engineer for Mitre and the cyber, and Penny Chase, information technology and cybersecurity integrator for Mitre, previously explained to SC Media that Mitre has been acutely focused on providing better resources for the healthcare sector, in response to both the continued threats and ongoing challenges.

The ransomware resource center provides key insights and support to healthcare delivery organizations, tailored to business leaders, technical team members, and IT or cybersecurity practitioners.

Jessica Davis

The voice of healthcare cybersecurity and policy for SC Media, CyberRisk Alliance, driving industry-specific coverage of what matters most to healthcare and continuing to build relationships with industry stakeholders.

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