What is CISA also responsible for in addition to operational lead?

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is crucial in safeguarding the nation's critical infrastructure. In addition to serving as the operational lead for national efforts to enhance cybersecurity, CISA plays a vital role in facilitating information sharing. This involves acting as a central point for the dissemination of vital security information amongst federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as private sector organizations. By promoting collaboration and communication, CISA helps ensure that stakeholders are informed about emerging threats, best practices, and available resources, enabling a collective approach to enhancing cybersecurity resilience.

The focus on information sharing allows for a more coordinated response to threats and incidents, fostering a proactive stance rather than waiting for breaches to occur. This capability is essential for improving situational awareness across diverse sectors and building a robust national security framework.

In contrast, other functions like policy formation and incident management are important but fall more within the purview of other entities or agencies, while environmental regulations are generally unrelated to CISA’s cybersecurity mission.