The departments of Homeland Security and Energy have announced in a meeting with the Oil and Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council the launch of a program that aims to protect pipelines and other critical infrastructure from cyber threats.
Chrisopher Krebs, undersecretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate, said Wednesday that the collaborative effort between NPPD, the Transportation Security Administration and DOE will provide a better understanding of the threat landscape and plan more targeted and prioritized risk management activities.
He explained that the program incorporates NPPD’s cybersecurity resources with DOE’s energy sector expertise and TSA’s assessments of pipeline security to address the risks in the oil and natural gas industry.
Krebs also noted that DHS’ National Risk Management Center will help secure future infrastructure, as well as provide an opportunity to work with industry to manage long-term strategy risk across critical infrastructure sectors.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske also noted that the meeting and future discussions will build upon the measures in the updated Pipeline Security Guidelines and the agency’s collaboration with the NRMC to minimize the consequences of an attack to America’s pipelines.