CISA or the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released its new cybersecurity information sharing strategy for 2024 to strengthen the nation’s cyber defenses in the coming year.
CISA has brought this new strategy to deliver timely and useful cybersecurity information at a time when threats are emerging faster than ever. Now the agency is planning a strategic effort at enterprise-level sharing of threat response plans and procedures.
From Siloed Secrets to Seamless Sharing: Cybersecurity Strategy Evolves
Around a decade ago, CISA introduced the Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS) program. This was a sign that it would be important for all parties concerned about their own IT security or information integrity operations to share machine-readable cyber threat information widely and automatically without exception.
Since change is the only constant in cybersecurity, CISA understands that its information-sharing approaches must similarly adjust to conform with rapidly changing threat conditions.
In CISA‘s daily assessment of the threat landscape, one must consider not only vulnerabilities that are known to exist but also assess how ready each entity throughout the nation is on a defensive footing.
This insight comes from several sources, including open-source reporting through classified channels; Government and industry operations with which CISA works jointly on missions; the lessons that we learn during assessments or incident responses within our organization itself; and information shared by members of the cybersecurity community via organizations like AIS.
AIS: A novel model
When AIS first came on the scene, it filled an important vacuum in cyber threat intelligence for many organizations. It was speed that mattered, to meet the needs of immediate time. In an era where the cybersecurity industry has matured significantly, ten years later it is no longer about swiftness but rather context, detail and customized insights.
“As we stand on the brink of 2024, it’s time for a change,” stated CISA. But the agency agrees that current offerings are already meeting information needs of most organizations.
The Road Ahead: TIES Unleashed
In 2024, CISA plans to begin a new strategic initiative aimed at modernization of the way that enterprise cyber threat information is shared. Perhaps the linchpin of this effort is TIES (Threat Intelligence Enterprise Services), an ambitious initiative that envisions making sharing cyber threat information significantly easier.
CISA plans to shift and coordinate its customer-facing cyber threat intelligence offerings under TIES. TIES Exchange Platform will be the hub, drawing together under a single unifying name user communities who need to share information with other sister agencies or specific users of their networks.
This move is designed to simplify the transmission of cyber threat information from partners and commercial sources, so there’s uniformity. It gives everyone a single picture in order for them to talk the same language with each other while also engaging based on the level of whatever particular threat exists at that time.
As CISA incorporates these transformative changes, it remains dedicated to the partner-centered design model. Driven by the needs of its Partners, which include federal agencies, critical infrastructure organizations, and state, and local. tribal territorial governments The aim is to make sure that CISA does not just repeat existing capabilities. CISA will solicit ecumenical feedback as it builds out the platform according to human-centered design principles so that even under-resourced organizations can easily use the tools.
Learning from Experience: Following Successes and Challenges
CISA recognizes the lessons it has learned from watching the former AIS system. The new system has to be convenient for sharing information and receiving it. It also must provide enough context so we can focus on what needs doing first. Those that improve the current level of cybersecurity capabilities in some meaningful way are accepted. Based on the proven successes of its AIS program, the agency intends to strengthen privacy and confidentiality by design.
Looking Ahead: Collective Cyber Defense
The overarching goal in this transformative initiative, with which CISA works to increase transparency and improve collective, automated cyber defense. During this period of transition, the AIS program will continue to be open. CISA welcomes users to continue making use of this capability and requests them to be active in sharing indicators with the agency.
The philosophy behind this initiative is clear: Shared visibility into the threats to our networks is one of our most effective weapons. Shared information The danger shifts back to defenders when organizations can share actionable knowledge in a network of collaborators. To establish lasting change, the actionable information needs to be turned into strategic investments in seeing through structural changes such as these most critical mitigations.
At this time of year, CISA encourages all organizations to make a resolution committing themselves to cybersharing. Whether it’s incident information, indicators of compromise (IOC), or useful feedback–all are a joint effort that contributes to strengthening the nation’s defenses in cyberspace.
Keep your ears open about TIES and other modernization efforts for cyber threat exchange going on at CISA as 2024 begins to unfurl. The agency hopes that a day when collective cyber defense is not merely an objective but the norm will arrive.
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