Feds to share cybersecurity threat info with businesses

WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department on Thursday formally began sharing details of new digital threats with private business and other government agencies, a culmination of a longtime effort to improve cybersecurity.

“This is the ‘if you see something, say something’ of cybersecurity,” said Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson at the agency’s Virginia-based data sharing hub, the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center

A federal law passed at the end of 2015 was intended to encourage corporations to shareinformation about cyberthreats, making it harder for businesses to be targeted by threats used elsewhere.

The program is voluntary, and the number of companies that will participate or how effective the program will be remains unclear.

Companies have long been reluctant to acknowledge security failures. As of Thursday, about six organizations had signed up and others have expressed interest, Andy Ozment, the assistant cybersecurity secretary at Homeland Security, said. The names of companies participating are closely held, and records about their involvement are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. For the full article click here 

from cyber security caucus http://ift.tt/1RtaEGG
via IFTTT