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White House

Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Update

On Jan. 10th, 2012, Elizabeth Montalbano reported for InformationWeek Government on a new federal initiative to protect critical infrastructure.  The article explained that the DHS and the US Department of Energy has teamed up to create the Electric Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Maturity Model.  The model would "identify how secure the electricity grid currently is from cyber threats", and would be developed with the help of the private sector.  Select utility companies would then implement the model to test its effectiveness.

In a White House blog post, Obama administration cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt explained the model and wrote:

"We look forward to continued cooperation with our partners in industry to ensure this initiative builds on industry efforts and becomes a meaningful tool to create a modern, secure electric grid that carries us through the 21st century."

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On Jan. 10th, 2012, Suzanne Kapner reported for the Wall Street Journal on how banks are pursuing a new information-sharing strategy.  According to the article, cybersecurity threats have prompted banks like Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs to share threat information with each other.  Moreover, "the rivals try to devise solutions to cybersecurity threats" for each other.

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On Jan. 10th, 2012, William Jackson wrote for Government Computer News on the state of US critical infrastructure protection.  The article considered a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study.  That study concluded that regulated entities receive adequate cybersecurity guidance, but non-regulated industries (which adopt cybersecurity measures voluntarily) are getting left out.

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Bloomberg also considered the recent SEC push for cyberattack disclosures in company filings.

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