November 16, 2018 – President Donald Trump signed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018, which establishes the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The law reorganizes DHS’ National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) into an agency that will focus on cybersecurity threats.
With its promotion to the rank of federal agency, CISA is now on the same level as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Secret Service, but still under the DHS’ oversight. The new agency is expected to improve the cybersecurity defenses across other US federal agencies, coordinate cybersecurity programs with states, and bolster the government’s overall cybersecurity protections.
It was also announced that Christopher C. Krebs would serve as CISA’s first director. Mr. Krebs had served as the Under Secretary of the NPPD, the predecessor of CISA. On the day President Trump signed the bill into law, Mr. Krebs tweeted that “The cybersecurity threat is constantly evolving and this reorganization positions us [CISA] to better defend America’s infrastructure from digital and physical threats.” Mr. Krebs added that the new agency would be better able to “accomplish its cybersecurity mission by making it easier to recruit cybersecurity professionals.”
CISA unveiled its new logo on November 28, 2018. With the rise of cybersecurity threats across the country, it is likely that the logo will become a familiar face to many Americans in the coming years.