Los Angeles to create cyber-intrusion center
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an executive directive earlier this week creating the Los Angeles Cyber Intrusion Command Center that will lead cybersecurity preparation and response across city departments.
The center will be led by the Office of the Mayor and will include assistance from the FBI and Secret Service.
“I’m creating this Cyber Intrusion Command Center so that we have a single, focused team responsible for implementing enhanced security standards across city departments and serving as a rapid reaction force to cyber-attacks,” Garcetti said. “Today, our traffic lights, our routing system for trash pick-up and so much more are electronic. Cybersecurity means protecting the basic services at the core of city government, and it means protecting our critical infrastructure like our port and airport, which we know are top targets.”
Garcetti’s executive directive calls on the center to do the following:
- Facilitate the identification and investigation of cyber-threats and intrusions against city assets;
- Ensure incidents are quickly, properly and thoroughly investigated by the appropriate law enforcement agency;
- Facilitate dissemination of cybersecurity alerts and information;
- Provide uniform governance structure accountable to city leadership;
- Coordinate incident response and remediation across the city;
- Serve as an advisory body to city departments;
- Sponsor independent security assessments to reduce security risks; and
- Ensure awareness of best practices.
All departments must contribute personnel, resources and data to the Cyber Intrusion Command Center. Per the executive directive, every department will:
- Establish and maintain permanent liaisons with the Cyber Intrusion Command Center;
- Report information about significant cyber-related events occurring in its departments;
- Identify personnel who require notification about distributed threat information; and
- Provide resources for cooperative actions as situations may require.
