Ratcliffe chairs hearing to explore strengthening public-private cybersecurity ties

U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) explored opportunities to enhance cybersecurity partnerships between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the private sector during a subcommittee hearing on Thursday.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly recently confirmed that DHS holds its cyber mission as a top priority. Ratcliffe, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, noted that continued input and engagement from the private sector are critical for advancing that important goal.

“Hearing from stakeholders who’ve been regularly partnering with DHS will show us how to enhance our collaborative programs, so we can be a force multiplier of the private sector’s current cyber defense capabilities,” Ratcliffe said.

Ratcliffe sought input on various DHS partnerships, including the Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations, the Cyber Information Sharing and Collaboration Program, Sector Coordinating Councils and the Automated Indicator Sharing Program.

“Our goal is to make sure that the private sector has every opportunity and every reason to take full advantage of DHS’ cybersecurity programs, so we can continue to work together to secure cyberspace,” Ratcliffe said. “We must now utilize the information we’ve been given to keep the ball moving in the right direction.

The subcommittee heard witness testimony from leaders of Intel, the Health Information Trust Alliance, Symantec, Palo Alto Networks and New America’s Open Technology Institute during the hearing. The experts testified that the Trump administration should retain DHS as the lead of civilian-cyber efforts, place a sustained focus on implementing cyber roles and missions already established under law, and clarify more specific expectations for private sector collaboration.

While DHS has made headway in combating cyberattacks and has strengthened many initiatives in its role as the civilian interface and coordinator across the 16 critical infrastructure sectors for cybersecurity, “very clearly more work needs to be done,” Ratcliffe said.

This year the subcommittee plans to continue conducting rigorous oversight to further strengthen DHS’ civilian cyber mission, Ratcliffe added. The various DHS partnerships with the private sector range in levels of sophistication and size of participants, but they all depend on quality information being shared in a timely manner.