Eric Swalwell Highlights CyberSentry Program Funding Lapse and Critical Infrastructure Risks

CyberSentry Program Status

• 💡 The CyberSentry program, authorized by the FY2022 NDAA, deploys voluntary sensors on critical infrastructure to detect malicious cyber activity.
• 📌 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) plays a key role in analyzing data from this program.
• ⚠️ LLNL's work with CISA on CyberSentry expired last Sunday due to pending funding agreements through DHS processes.

Impact of Funding Lapse

• 🚫 National laboratories, including LLNL, are legally unable to operate without government agency funding.
• 📉 LLNL's threat hunters stopped monitoring networks on Sunday because the inter-agency agreement between DHS and DOE has not been completed.
• 🚨 The sensors remain deployed and are gathering data, but LLNL analysts are not legally able to analyze this data due to the lack of funding.

Risks of Blindness to Cyber Threats

• 🎯 The lapse in funding creates a significant risk of being blind to ongoing malicious attacks on critical infrastructure.
• 📈 Visibility into Operational Technology (OT) networks is crucial, and losing this through CyberSentry is a major loss for national security.
• 🇨🇳 The program is designed to detect novel threats, including those of foreign origin, such as previously identified Chinese-placed malware.

Importance of Collaboration Forums

• 🤝 Improving operational collaboration between the federal government and the private sector is a priority.
• 💬 The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) needs appropriate forums like the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) and the Cyber Information Sharing and Collaboration Program (CPAC).
• 🔒 CPAC is vital for industry to share information with the government under liability protections, which is currently hindered, posing a national security concern.
• ⚙️ There is a desire for more concrete OT security efforts from JCDC that industry can actively participate in.