CISA expands cyber defense initiative with industrial control systems partnership

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) director Jen Easterly announced Wednesday the expansion of the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) to incorporate industry leaders including security vendors, integrators, and distributors.

As the U.S. government continues to build upon and push for public cooperation in cybersecurity and resilience initiatives, the announced partnership with industrial control systems and operational technology (ICS/OT) experts is expected to enhance public and private collaboration.

“As the destruction or corruption of these control systems could cause grave harm, ensuring their security and resilience must be a collective effort that taps into the innovation, expertise, and ingenuity of the ICS community. I’m excited to leverage our evolving JCDC platform to enable us to plan, exercise, and collaborate with industry leaders to drive down risk to the systems and networks we depend on so greatly as a nation,” Easterly told ICS leaders at the S4x22 conference.

The extensive list of companies that have joined the JCDC-ICS initiative includes giants like Bechtel, Claroty, Dragos, GE, Honeywell, Nozomi Networks, Schneider Electric, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Siemens, and Xylem.

In August 2021 CISA formed the JCDC after a push from Congress to unify the public and private sectors’ efforts in mitigating the risk of cyberthreats and strengthening the country’s resilience to cyberattacks. After the establishment of JCDC, 21 companies signed on as private sector “Alliance Partners” including IBM, Microsoft, Google Cloud, AT&T, and Verizon along with public compliance from government agencies like the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Justice (DoJ), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).