At OpenPolicy, we are committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity through proactive involvement in legislative processes and conger. Recently, we had the honor of participating in a critical hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection. This hearing focused on "Surveying CIRCIA: Sector Perspectives on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking," and OpenPolicy provided key insights and recommendations on enhancing national cyber resilience.
The Significance of CIRCIA
The Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) represents a transformative step in cybersecurity legislation, targeting enhanced situational awareness and reduced cyber risks across sixteen critical infrastructure sectors. With the potential to impact approximately 300,000 organizations, CIRCIA's successful implementation is pivotal to bolstering national security.
Key Discussions and Recommendations from the Hearing
Our discussions at the hearing were robust, tackling complex issues such as the SEC Cyber Rule and the increased liabilities for CISOs. Our discussion led to several strategic recommendations:
- Regulatory Streamlining: We emphasized the importance of reducing regulatory complexity, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, through coordinated efforts between CISA and other sector regulators, focusing on the impact to the DIB.
- Empowering Partnerships: Strengthening public-private partnerships is essential. These collaborations facilitate real-time information sharing, threat mitigation, and effective remediation, key components for national cyber resilience. We doubled down on the need to invest in architecture and technology.
- Flexible Rulemaking: To keep pace with the rapidly evolving threat landscape, we advocated for a more adaptable rulemaking process that includes diverse stakeholder engagement through mechanisms like Ex-parte conversations.
- Balancing Compliance and Resilience: We discussed the need to balance compliance costs with the goal of cyber resilience and the impact of increased incident reporting requirements and their associated liabilities, particularly on the CISO and small business communities. The goal is to streamline requirements, minimize regulatory complexities, and balance compliance costs with enhanced cyber resilience.
Moving Forward with Innovation and Collaboration
Transitioning to a more resilient cyber infrastructure will require significant resources, including the adoption of state-of-the-art and AI-powered security solutions. Moreover, moving from a reactive to a preventative stance on cyber incidents necessitates substantial investment in technology. Our engagement with government entities and innovators is crucial to driving the effective implementation of CIRCIA and realizing the rule's core objective of enhancing national cybersecurity.
We are proud of OpenPolicy's role in bringing these critical perspectives to Congress, aiming to foster a balanced and proactive approach to cybersecurity.
This hearing not only marks a significant achievement for OpenPolicy but also underscores our ongoing commitment to advancing cybersecurity policy and resilience practices. Let us continue championing these important discussions and working collaboratively toward a secure and innovative digital future.
Watch and read more at https://lnkd.in/ekut7qKN.
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