North Dakota State Chief Information Officer Shawn Riley today announced additional state governments have signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to join the Joint-Cybersecurity Operations Command Center (J-CSOC), nearing a total of 20% of states in the nation agreeing to participate in this endeavor. The J-CSOC, founded by North Dakota, is the first in the country to establish, facilitate and accommodate direct state-to-state sharing of cyber threat intelligence.
Prior to forming the J-CSOC, there was no mechanism to facilitate direct state-to-state sharing of cyber threat intelligence.
As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, the importance of states working together for rapid response is critical. For example, states can identify an active threat and alert other states to potentially prevent the spread of a phishing attack by quickly and efficiently notifying others through these joint operations.
“The J-CSOC is demonstrating unprecedented cooperation between states in the fight against cyber-attacks. All member states are benefiting and redefining how we can defend ourselves against this system threat,” Riley said. “The defense posture of the entire country is being improved due to the actions of the J-CSOC.”
Chief Information Security Officer Michael Gregg said, “The J-CSOC is an innovative multi-state project that is of critical importance. If one state is being attacked, the others will most likely be targeted next. This allows us to rapidly exchange threat information to protect the state of North Dakota before it impacts our citizens.”
Gregg anticipates a commitment from more states and said the goal is to have 30% of the nation participating by the end of the year.
J-CSOC members can benefit from the rapid exchange of threat information, cyber threat intelligence (CTI), threat hunting, and the sharing of indicators of compromise.
The J-CSOC was founded in 2021 and has continued to grow and mature processes and expand its partnerships. States are encouraged to reach out to NDIT for information regarding membership.
C O N T A C T:
Alisa Cook | 701-328-7408
Jecca Geffre | 701-955-0304