The Port of Los Angeles this week officially opened its new Cyber Resilience Center (CRC), a community cyber defense solution created to improve the cybersecurity readiness of the Port and enhance its threat-sharing and recovery capabilities among supply chain stakeholders.
Operated by IBM under a three-year, $6.8 million contract that was approved in late 2020, the center will help protect North America’s largest seaport from cyber threats and serve as a hub for the Port to receive, analyze and share cybersecurity information among its stakeholders.
Envisioned as a “system of systems,” the CRC enables participating stakeholders to automatically share cyber threat indicators and potential defensive measures with each other.
Along with serving as a platform for threat intelligence and incident response, the CRC will conduct tabletop exercises for stakeholders and provide them with cybersecurity training.
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“We must take every precaution against potential cyber incidents, particularly those that could threaten or disrupt the flow of cargo,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “This new Cyber Resilience Center provides a new level of awareness for our stakeholders by providing enhanced intelligence, better collective knowledge sharing and heightened protection against cyber threats within our supply chain community.”
“The past year has proven the vital role that ports hold to our nation’s critical infrastructure, supply chains and economy, underscoring that it’s paramount we secure this ecosystem,” said Christopher McCurdy, General Manager, IBM Security Services. “The Port of Los Angeles is setting a new industry standard with a first-of-its-kind initiative to increase cyber readiness across the maritime community.”
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The first group of roughly 20 participating stakeholders are now using the new system, with more groups expected to join every six months.
The Port setup a Security Operations Center (SOC) in 2014 to help protect its internal networks.
North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $259 billion in trade in 2020.
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