The Cyber Incident Reporting Council (CIRC), a new group made up of federal agencies with a congressional mandate to coordinate, deconflict, and harmonize current and future federal cyber incident reporting requirements, met for the first time on July 22; a press release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said this week.
The meeting was convened by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas.
"During the meeting, Secretary Mayorkas highlighted the importance of assessing reporting requirements and seeking opportunities for related harmonization," the release said.
By advancing common standards for incident reporting, the CIRC will significantly enhance cybersecurity, lighten the burden on business and inform the Secretary's report; the release said. The report is due to Congress 180 days after the first Council meeting and will contain suggestions for how the federal government can harmonize.
The CIRC chair is held by Robert Silvers, DHS under secretary for Policy, and includes representation from a number federal agencies including the Office of the National Cyber Director, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Justice, Commerce, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Energy, Transportation, and Homeland Security.
Congress authorized CIRC in the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act, which established a requirement for reporting significant cyber incidents that impact critical infrastructure to DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the release said.
