The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed this week that it is cutting funding for cybersecurity intelligence sharing bodies amid a wider campaign of firings and budget cuts impacting the federal cybersecurity landscape.
A CISA spokesperson said the agency planned to cut annual funding of $10 million that was given to the Center for Internet Security (CIS) for managing the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) and the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC) — two organizations that provided technical assistance, guidance and more to states on a variety of cyber threats.
Pulled quotes from Health-ISAC:
Almost all of the other ISACs covering the healthcare, IT and financial services industries are funded through member dues and other revenue streams, according to Denise Anderson, chair of the National Council of ISACs and president of the Health-ISAC.
Anderson told Recorded Future News that most ISACs are global private sector non-profit organizations made up of owners and operators of critical infrastructure within the applicable sector or sub-sector.
Most ISACs cover all hazards, even those beyond cybersecurity, with some dating back to the 1990s, Anderson explained.
“Cyber does not stop at a country’s border and as a result, ISACs tend to be global with global organizations as our members. For example, in the Health-ISAC, we have members operating in 140 countries,” she said.
“As private sector entities, we work with numerous government agencies, law enforcement teams, industry partners and country Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) across the world.”
She argued that changes in government administrations “only serve to demonstrate the tremendous importance that ISACs bring to global security, as stable, reliable communities of trust that industry and critical infrastructure sectors can rely on for timely, actionable, relevant information and analysis, coordination and collaboration 24/7, 365 days a year.”
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