N.Y.–based cybersecurity-resilience program gets federal funding

The federal budget includes at least $38 millio for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), a federally funded cybersecurity-resilience program.

The Center for Internet Security (CIS) in East Greenbush in Rensselaer County operates the MS-ISAC.

The office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) on March 10 announced that the federal spending plan included the funding. The $38 million represents an increase of $11 million over the previous year, Gillibrand’s office noted.

A week earlier, CIS released a statement noting that both Gillibrand and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) had called for additional funding “in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and potential retaliatory attacks against the U.S. and other western nations,” per the March 3 CIS announcement.

The lawmakers in a March 2 announcement had acknowledged the importance of the work of the Multi-State information Sharing and Analysis Center. The additional funding would further enable the nonprofit cybersecurity organization to protect the nation’s state, local, tribal and territorial governments (SLTTs), K-12 public schools, universities and hospitals from cyberattacks, CIS said.

“We stand with Sen. Schumer and Sen. Gillibrand … in continuing to emphasize the importance of supporting the cybersecurity of our nation’s State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments. Our members, over 12,000 SLTT, are an integral part of the whole-of-nation approach to protecting both our critical infrastructure and essential civil services across the country,” John Gilligan, president & CEO of the Center for Internet Security, said.

About MS-ISAC

The MS-ISAC program is a “successful example” of a partnership-based approach to building cybersecurity resilience and coordination between federal, state, and local entities, Gillibrand’s office contended. 

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security designated the MS-ISAC as the focal point for cyber-threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal governments as well as cyber fusion centers. 

The MS-ISAC is used by all 56 states and territories and more than 12,500 other local governments to receive up-to-date information on and analysis of cyber threats. Additionally, the Center for Internet Security, which houses the MS-ISAC, also houses the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing & Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), which provides election-systems professionals with a full cyber-defense suite of hardware, software, and expertise to fend off the threat of foreign interference, Gillibrand’s office said.