Without Federal Help, Cyber Defense Is Up to the Rest of Us

Without Federal Help, Cyber Defense Is Up to the Rest of Us argues that the future of US cyber defences hinges on ongoing federal support, as key agency activities are being scaled back. The piece notes that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is being defunded and dismantled, with the termination of its $10 million partnership with the Center for Internet Security and the layoff of more than a hundred CISA employees, jeopardising the flow of vital vulnerability information.

It also mentions the CVE program being extended at the last minute after signals it would be shelved, while the future renewal of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 is uncertain. The author contends that, without CISA’s proactive vulnerability communication, organisations may learn of issues late or via social media, increasing exposure for businesses and customers.

The article highlights that CISA’s advisories historically accelerate response times, and notes a push from CISOs of 45 global organisations, including AWS, Honeywell and Mastercard, urging greater cooperation and streamlined regulations. It ultimately calls for restoring and strengthening CISA to ensure a national layer of protection.