FBI Seeks to Open Channels of Communication With Businesses Facing Cyber Attacks

As cyber attacks against U.S. companies continue to increase in number and scope, the federal government continues to increase its efforts to build relationships with the private sector.

These efforts are part of the Obama Administration’s recent Executive Order to Improve Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. The EO requires government agencies tasked with policing cyber threats to “increase the volume, timeliness, and quality of cyber threat information shared with U.S. private sector entities so that these entities may better protect and defend themselves against cyber threats.”

As Corporate Counsel reported recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation shed some light on what businesses can expect going forward during a New York City Bar Association event. As reported, Special Agent Mary Galligan commented that corporations should contact the FBI to report that they have been hacked, she also stressed that delays can often compromise the agency’s ability to help with the investigation.

At the same time, the FBI will also inform companies of data security threats that it detects. “The government is—and especially after the executive order—sharing information as fast as we can get it,” Galligan stated. She further acknowledged that this hasn’t always been the case. “That sharing wasn’t always there, because of the issue of classified information,” she added. However, policies have changed as the threat level has increased.

Galligan further emphasized that it is easier for the FBI to do their job when companies already have policies and procedures in place to respond to cyber threats.  “You would not believe the number of firms who cannot explain what their network looks like,” Galligan noted. “They don’t know their leasing agreements with other companies. They don’t know what’s on their servers. And these are all important questions to make these business decisions, to make these legal decisions.”

For businesses, the message is the clear. The best way to protect your company from a cyber attack is to be prepared. Not only will it help you respond to a cyber intrusion, but also facilitate the assistance of third parties, such as private practice professionals and government agencies.

If you have any questions about the government new cybersecurity initiative or would like to discuss your company’s data security procedures, please contact me, Fernando Pinguelo, or the Scarinci Hollenbeck attorney with whom you work.