Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Sectors

Cybersecurity is a matter that affects not just cyberspace but also our physical spaces, our governments and institutions, and our private and professional lives. Our data is increasingly hosted in a digital form, collected by companies and organizations, and even exploited by malicious actors through cyberattacks. These cyberattacks can threaten our cost millions or billions of dollars to governments and companies, disrupt vital services for citizens, and pose threats to national security.

Yet no one suggests going back to the days of paper offices and fax machines. The opportunities for collaboration, process efficiency, and even enhanced security make the risks of cyberspace worthwhile.

The U.S. Government is tasked with managing cybersecurity strategies and responding to threats that could impact critical infrastructure sectors. Critical infrastructure sectors are defined as:

“sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof.”

List of Critical Infrastructure Sectors

The U.S. Government has identified 16 such critical infrastructure sectors and has assigned these to relevant government agencies, deemed “Sector Risk Management Agencies.” These agencies oversee the following sectors, occasionally in coordination with other departments.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

• Chemical
• Commercial Facilities
• Communications
• Critical Manufacturing
• Dams (projects, navigation locks, levees, hurricane barriers, etc.)
• Emergency Services (prevention, preparedness, response, recovery)
• Government Facilities (co-agency: General Services Administration)
• Information Technology
• Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste
• Transportation Systems (co-agency: Department of Transportation)

Department of Defense (DoD)

• Defense Industrial Base (R&D/production support for U.S. military)

Department of Energy (DoE)

• Energy

Department of the Treasury (DoT)

• Financial Services

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

• Healthcare and Public Health
• Food and Agriculture (co-agency: Department of Agriculture)

Environmental Protection Agency

• Waste and Wastewater Systems

National Infrastructure Coordinating Center

Inter-agency coordination enables government and private sector agencies to collaborate on cybersecurity strategies, identify vulnerabilities, and counter emerging threats.

Cyberattacks have become more sophisticated, as part of for-profit engines or state-based agendas. With national security and billions of dollars at stake, it’s vital for private and public sectors to work together to build flexible and resilient cybersecurity solutions.

Government agencies rely on information sharing and collaboration to develop risk management methodologies and implement tools for security hardening, mitigation, and recovery.

The National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC) is a critical aspect of this coordination. Operating as part of the DHS National Operations Center, the NICC is specifically tasked with information sharing and coordination, contributing to a comprehensive view of critical infrastructure security within the United States. Long-term, this information hub contributes to the resilience of private and public sector cybersecurity strategies.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA)

As part of the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency differs from the NICC. CISA is an Integrated Operations Division (IOD) tasked with addressing systemic cybersecurity and communications challenges.

CISA Central serves as the national hub to help manage cyber defense, incident response, and situational awareness among public and private sectors. CISA Central works to reduce cybersecurity risks across critical infrastructure sectors by partnering with:

• Law enforcement and intelligence agencies
• Federal, state, local, and tribal governments
• Control systems owners, operators, and vendors
• International and private sector Computer Emergency Response Team (CERTs)

Critical Infrastructure Community

The goal of ensuring cybersecurity for critical infrastructure sectors is far-reaching and involves many parties beyond the federal government. It includes government contractors and sub-contractors, service providers and vendors, the private cybersecurity industry, and naturally the public and private entities that fall under the “Critical Infrastructure Sector” designation. These parties collectively form a critical infrastructure community.

To strengthen this community, CISA launched the Critical Infrastructure Cyber Community Voluntary Program (C³VP). This voluntary program encourages the implementation of the Cybersecurity Framework, published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). By raising awareness of and integrating this framework into cybersecurity strategies, the community can improve cybersecurity and enterprise risk management across critical infrastructure sectors.

FileCloud is the Cybersecurity Solution Critical Infrastructure Sectors Need

It is easy to agree on the goal of cybersecurity, especially when it comes to matters of national security and critical infrastructure sector stability. However, implementing cybersecurity strategies presents practical and logistical challenges.

FileCloud is a powerful, flexible solution designed with hyper-security and compliance at its core, already used by major private enterprises and government entities around the world. FileCloud’s Content Model illustrates how security is built into every layer of engagement, from the platform’s built-in features to admin controls to granular user and file management tools.

Enterprise-grade tools like hierarchical retention policies, Windows Network Share and NTFS permissions integration, GovCloud deployment, and Digital Rights Management place control back in your hands and contribute a valuable cybersecurity asset to the critical infrastructure community.

Discover how FileCloud supports security and compliance across industries through our in-depth whitepapers.