Aiming to strengthen cybersecurity in the North American energy industry, cyber information sharing centers focused on the power sector and on the oil and gas sector will begin working more closely together.
The Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center — or E-ISAC — operated by North American Electric Reliability Corporation, announced an agreement with the Oil and Natural Gas Information Sharing and Analysis Center — or ONG-ISAC — to enhance the exchange of information between the organizations.
The partnership mainly aims to efficiently streamline information sharing and security collaboration on threats and security concerns, according to a Sep. 10 news release. The move follows on a growing a push to boost cybersecurity and address cyber risks to the energy industry in the U.S.
"Although some of the threats facing the energy sector are daunting, building a stronger collaborative defensive capability between our organizations will pay off before or during a cyber or physical security emergency," Bill Lawrence, NERC's vice president and chief security officer, said in a statement.
ONG-ISAC is the focal point of coordination and communication that helps protect the services of the oil and gas industry, while E-ISAC serves a similar function for the electricity industry across North America.
