The George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security (CCHS) announced a new project focusing on active defense by the private sector against cyber threats, the school said Thursday.
The project, the Active Defense Task Force, will examine these private sector defense issues and is set to release a major report later in 2016, CCHS said.
CCHS in a statement highlighted “the objective of the project is to carefully examine an issue that has been a challenge for private sector companies and government agencies in recent years: how can private sector companies effectively and appropriately defend themselves against cyber threats?”
The center defined active defense as capturing a range of cybersecurity measures that go beyond passive defenses like firewalls and security patches.
The task force’s purview will be to assess policy and legal frameworks for active defense in the United States and internationally, survey current practices companies use to assess risks and protect/defend their systems, develop guiding principles to inform responsible action by the private sector and government agencies, and examine technological developments that enhance companies’ ability to defend against cyber threats.
The co-chairs of the task force are retired Adm. Dennis Blair, former Director of National Intelligence; Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security and co-founder of The Chertoff Group; Frank Cilluffo, Director of CCHS; and Nuala O’Connor, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology.
The task force is set to be directed by Cilluffo and deputy director of CCHS Christian Beckner.
Other task force members include officials from private industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations.