Brenda Marie Rivers
Michael Daly, chief technology officer for cybersecurity at Raytheon, and National Cyber Security Alliance Executive Director Russ Schrader have said the government and industry need to closely collaborate and foster an aligned security ecosystem to protect infrastructure assets from cyber attacks.
Daly and Schrader wrote in a joint article published Monday on Federal News Network that despite the recent investments in addressing cyber risks, organizations must understand that cyber threats can affect a range of industries including the transportation, energy, critical manufacturing, water and pharmaceutical sectors.
"Critical infrastructure security is not a problem that falls to one organization or branch of government; it is a shared responsibility," they noted.
They suggested that federal agencies can develop security policies to address growing cyber threats, while industry partnerships can support cyber preparedness efforts to protect critical systems. The formation of DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the introduction of government-backed programs such as the Small Business Innovation Research initiative can drive public-private collaboration on cyber attack mitigation efforts, Daly and Schrader added.
Both security professionals also proposed the creation of a cybersecurity playbook that will incorporate regulatory expertise from the departments of Defense and Homeland Security along with ideas from Silicon Valley firms to aid the decision-making process across law enforcement, homeland security, intelligence and state operations.
