May 3, 2024 at 05:33AM
The White House issued a new national security memorandum focused on protecting critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats. Replacing a decade-old policy, the memorandum addresses malicious cyber activities, strategic competition, and advancements in AI. It involves refining government roles, promoting a risk-based approach, leveraging federal agreements, and designating CISA as the national coordinator for security.
Based on the meeting notes, the main takeaways include:
– The White House has issued a new national security memorandum (NSM) focused on the security and resilience of critical infrastructure against cyber and physical threats.
– The new NSM replaces a decade-old presidential policy and takes into account the shift of the threat environment towards malicious cyber activities, strategic competition, and advancements in AI technology.
– The NSM aims to refine and clarify government roles, promote a risk-based approach, establish minimum requirements and accountability mechanisms, leverage federal government agreements, enhance threat intelligence collection and analysis, improve information sharing, promote investments in technologies, and engage with international partners.
– The NSM designates CISA as the national coordinator for security and resilience and requires DHS to regularly summarize efforts to manage critical infrastructure risk.
– It reaffirms the designation of 16 critical infrastructure sectors and the creation of a Sector Risk Management Agency (SRMA) for each sector.
– The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have each issued statements on the new memorandum, especially regarding the water sector, which has been increasingly targeted in malicious attacks.
– CISA has commented on the NSM and its role, highlighting that it has been working towards the goals outlined in the memorandum.