The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently hosted a Cybersecurity Summit, with the goal of establishing a vision for a defense strategy to protect the nation’s infrastructure.
Officials said the effort in New York City united industry and top federal personnel, resulting in a series of steps to better understand critical elements while also working to reduce strategic risk.
“We are not waiting for the next intrusion before we act,” DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said. “We are taking a clear-eyed look at the threat and taking action—and notably—collective action to combat them.”
At the summit, Nielsen also announced the creation of the National Risk Management Center, which is expected to coordinate national efforts to protect infrastructure and create a cross-cutting risk management approach.
The Center would also aid in identifying and prioritizing strategic risks to national critical functions; the integration of government and industry activities on the development of risk management strategies; and the synchronization of operational risk management activities across industry and government.
DHS officials also unveiled the formation of the Information and Communications (ICT) Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force, a unit comprised of subject matter experts from industry and government.
The Task Force will be housed in the National Risk Management Center, officials said, aiding in developing recommendations for actions to address strategic challenges, including identifying risk associated with the global information and communications technology supply chain and related third-party risk.