How Public & Private Sectors Can Better Align Cyber Defense

COMMENTARY

Cybercrime isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a serious threat capable of disrupting essential infrastructure, endangering public safety, and shaking the foundations of our financial systems and economy.

We’ve all seen the headlines in recent years — from a cyberattack on an energy pipeline that disrupted the fuel supply across parts of the US to a large-scale ransomware attack on a health insurance provider that led to a massive leak of personal data. Uncovering and combating cybercrime remains a complex challenge for many reasons, but chief among them is the disconnect in data collection, sharing, and collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Critical infrastructure, essential utilities like power and water, local municipalities and services (think 911 and EMS), small and midsize businesses, and healthcare — not one of these is off-limits to cybercriminals. And as threat actors become more aggressive, our defenses must keep up.

Plenty of Red Tape, but No Clear Defenses

The US government has a duty to take the lead in defending the nation against cybercrime. But while there’s been some progress over the past few decades toward stronger national leadership on cybersecurity, the truth is that there’s been a lot of added red tape with no clear responsible party.

Over the past 25 years, organizations like the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have been created. They’re producing valuable alerts and educational resources on growing cyber threats. That’s all great, except for one thing. Despite decades of progress on building federal alignment around cybersecurity as a key priority, there’s still no clear voice leading the charge. Meanwhile, cybercriminals are staying one step ahead, moving faster and more strategically than the agencies tasked with safeguarding citizens’ cybersecurity.

That brings us to March 2024, when the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) released a report calling for the creation of a stand-alone military Cyber Force. This team would run Pentagon cyber-defense efforts from within the Department of the Army and help set the stage for a more unified defense strategy over the next five to 10 years. The report is rooted in feedback from over 70 active and retired military cyber experts who all seem to agree on one thing: Cybercrime poses a serious and growing threat to national security, and it’s time to do something about it.

Closing the Gap

At the highest levels of government, the US has made a strong push to identify, address, and communicate emerging and critical cyber threats. And now, it’s on both the public and private sectors to bridge the gap and work together. But the big question we’ve yet to fully address is whether there’s sufficient collaboration between the public and private sectors and if our response times are suffering because of it.

Take March 2021, for example. Microsoft flagged that a hacking group exploited multiple zero-day vulnerabilities targeting Microsoft Exchange Server software. A month later, the Justice Department stepped in with a court-authorized effort to disrupt ongoing exploitation. And the patches? Those finally rolled out another month later, after cybercriminals had plenty of time to exploit the vulnerabilities and infiltrate organizations.

Fast forward to the ConnectWise ScreenConnect vulnerability that surfaced last year. This time, the private sector was ahead of the game, with guidance and fixes hitting the headlines quickly. But, when it came to government action, CISA issued its advisory days after the vulnerability was announced.

Progress has definitely been made over the past two decades — there’s no denying that. But there’s still room to tighten the partnership between public and private sectors regarding cybersecurity. So, how do we achieve that?

Building Future Defenses That Command Respect

To build stronger defenses for the future, we need to respond to these kinds of incidents in minutes and hours — not days, weeks, or months. There has to be a faster, simpler way for leaders from both the public and private sectors to connect, share insights, and issue clear instructions for vulnerabilities, patches, and more.

I’ve pinpointed five key areas that, in my opinion, need serious attention to improve collaboration between public and private sectors:

Insights: If we unify data collection, analysis, and sharing, we can give policymakers and practitioners a clearer picture of cybercrime — its scope, its patterns, and where to hit back with precision.
Data: Taking that one step further and sharing more data between agencies and the private sector would make a tangible difference in how prepared organizations and municipalities are for known and emerging vulnerabilities.
Policy and legislation: Here’s a practical one — streamline classification processes. Using a common language for cybercrimes would cut down on miscommunication and confusion.
Collaboration: Create task forces between government and industry that scale to the highest levels of government and the gravest threats, responding in a coordinated, powerful way.
Hacking back: There are pros and cons to this option, but I’d like to see the federal government explore how to build skills to hack the hackers, and somewhat importantly, what the rules of engagement would be for companies and local governments. The notion has been introduced to the government, but to date, no laws have been passed yet to push it forward.

The fight against cybercrime is constantly evolving, and keeping up will take all of us working together and thinking creatively. Recent initiatives prove that when we harness technology, coordinate effectively, and build stronger public-private partnerships, we can significantly bolster our defenses, reducing the impact of cybercrime on individuals and institutions. It’s no easy task — staying ahead requires vigilance, adaptability, and a willingness to tackle uncharted challenges. But together, through collaboration and determination, we can tackle cybercrime challenges head-on, creating a safer and more secure future for everyone.

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