Secretary Johnson today hosted U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul and John Ratcliffe at DHS’ National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) to officially deploy a system to exchange cyber threat indicators between government and the private sector at machine speed.
The system, known as Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS), will mitigate cyber threats in near-real-time, ultimately reducing the prevalence of cybersecurity compromises. Secretary Johnson presented the congressmen with an official notice certifying the deployment of AIS, meeting the deadline of today set by the Cybersecurity Act of 2015. DHS has also met prior deadlines to establish policies and procedures on privacy and how to share information.
Secretary Johnson said that, DHS is “open for business” to receive cyber threat indicators from the public and private sectors at machine speed. This automated, real-time information sharing system is the centerpiece of our efforts at the NCCIC, he added.
AIS uses a standard that is still evolving, to adhere to the timelines established in the legislation. Participants will eventually include federal departments and agencies, private companies, non-profit organizations, academia, foreign allies, and Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations.
This system will serve as the "See Something, Say Something" of the Internet. When one participant detects a threat, all participants in AIS will learn about it. By broadening the depth and increasing the speed of cybersecurity information sharing, the country as a whole will be better able to manage cyber threats. The Cybersecurity Act of 2015 also provides targeted liability protection to companies that share cyber threat indicators with DHS or with each other. And like all of the department’s cybersecurity programs, AIS includes rigorous privacy and civil liberties protections.
Secretary Johnson thanked Congressmen McCaul, Ratcliffe and Thompson for their support of DHS’ cybersecurity efforts and applauded NCCIC employees for their dedication and hard work to help keep the nation safe and secure from cyber threats.