Describe the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018
From 2014 to 2018, cybersecurity and infrastructure increasingly became the focus of the US Government.
As a result, in 2018, Congress passed into law the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to re-designate the Department of Homeland Security's National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Transfer of power
The act transfers resources and responsibilities of the directorate to the agency.
The act transfers within DHS the Office of Biometric Identity Management to the Management Directorate.
The act also requires DHS to transfer the Federal Protective Service to an appropriate DHS component, directorate, or office following the completion of an ongoing Government Accountability Office review.
Designation of mission
The act states that:
“The agency shall be headed by the Director of National Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security. Its responsibilities shall include: leading cybersecurity and critical infrastructure security programs, operations, and associated policy; and carrying out DHS's responsibilities concerning chemical facility antiterrorism standards.”
Organizational structure
The bill also details the organizational structure of the agency. CISA's subcomponents include:
- Cybersecurity division
- National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC)
- Infrastructure Security Division
- Emergency Communications Division
- National Risk Management Center
- Integrated Operations Division
- Stakeholder Engagement Division
- National Emergency Technology Guard
- National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies
Responsibilities
The act states that “DHS shall report on its leadership role in cloud-based cybersecurity deployments for civilian federal departments and agencies.”
Importance
The establishment of CISA as an Agency within the Department of Homeland Security is as important as the establishment of Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Agency, or even the U.S. Secret Service. These components play an integral role in protecting the security of the United States, its states, territories, localities, and tribal lands.