Information sharing and analysis centers launch partnership to improve grid security

Two key information sharing and analysis centers recently announced an agreement to improve information sharing among the organizations and their members to strengthen the cybersecurity of the nation’s critical electric infrastructure.

The agreement between the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) and the MultiState Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) will also foster increased cooperation between the E-ISAC and the state and local government partners that the MS-ISAC represents.

The E-ISAC, in collaboration with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), is the primary security communications channel for the electric industry. It gathers and analyzes security data, shares appropriate data with stakeholders, coordinates incident management and communicates mitigation strategies with stakeholders.

The MS-ISAC is a division of the Center for Internet Security (CIS). It aims to improve the overall cybersecurity posture of state, local, territory and tribal governments through collaboration and information sharing among members, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and private sector partners and works to coordinate cyber readiness and response with DHS.

“In a grid security emergency, effective and efficient coordination by industry and government to speed the recovery of critical infrastructure is an imperative,” Bill Lawrence, NERC vice president and chief security officer, said. “This agreement with the MS-ISAC broadens the set of E-ISAC relationships with visibility and expertise on the cyber and physical security threats toward all levels of industry and government.”

The goals of the E-ISAC and MS-ISAC under the new partnership include enhancing security collaboration on common threat information and incident response, providing joint analysis of security concerns and events, advancing shared processes for information sharing and situational awareness and improving information sharing among all ISACs.

“This agreement between the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the Multi-State Information and Analysis Center will encourage information sharing and provide greater insight into current cybersecurity threats to those responsible for our nation’s electrical infrastructure,” Thomas Duffy, chair of the MS-ISAC and CIS senior vice president of operations and services, said.

The E-ISAC and MS-ISAC will use existing policies and procedures for safeguarding sensitive information under the partnership.