Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said CISA has initiated actions to protect U.S. critical infrastructure from cyberthreats posed by China, including its use of JCDC or the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative to advance collaboration across government and industry to identify Chinese malicious cyber activities and prevent intrusions.
CISA is providing guidance, resources and services for critical infrastructure operators and owners to detect and mitigate risks posed by cyberthreat actors from China. It is also seeking assistance from subject matter experts and advisers to help strengthen the resilience of such infrastructure, Easterly said Wednesday in her testimony before the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
During the hearing, Easterly called on technology companies to develop, test and deliver products that are “secure by design” to prevent Chinese cyber actors from exploiting defects in such products.
“We must drive toward a future where defects in our technology products are a shocking anomaly, a future underpinned by a software liability regime based on a measurable standard of care and safe harbor provisions for software developers who do responsibly innovate by prioritizing security,” she told lawmakers.
The CISA director called on critical infrastructure entities to work with their local CISA team and enroll in the agency’s Vulnerability Scanning program and other services to address vulnerabilities, exercise the continuity of critical systems and use the joint advisories with the FBI and the National Security Agency to drive investments in cyber hygiene.
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