It is certainly true that the private sector will be the ?tip of spear? in detecting and identify cyber threats. It is also true that many of these threats may originate from outside the United States . As a result of these dual realities, the federal government must assume a coordinating role in combating cyber threats.
In developing a partnership with the private sector, the federal government is working at a disadvantage because most businesses would prefer to keep a cyber attack quiet rather than announce the details of an attack publicly and suffer the resultant loss of public confidence. Therefore, the government must design a cyber threat reporting system that instills confidence by the private sector that the details of a cyber attack will be kept private.
In response to this need to work with the private sector and the requirements listed above, the FBI developed the InfraGard program. The InfraGard program?s stated mission is ?to improve and extend information sharing between private industry and the government, particularly the FBI, when it comes to critical national infrastructures.? It is slightly broader in scope, as it is designed to create public-private partnership across a number of industries including agriculture, banking and finance, chemical, computer security, defense, emergency services, energy, food, postal and shipping, public health, transportation, telecommunications, and water supply. InfraGard offers a secure and anonymous way for the private sector to inform the Bureau. Additionally, it provides a mechanism for industry to pool their ideas along with tips from the FBI on cyber security.
In developing partnerships with foreign governments, the FBI has placed assets in the countries with a known cybercriminal presence. For example, the FBI has specially trained agents in Estonia and Romania . According to Steven Martinez, the deputy assistant director for the FBI’s Cyber Division, “You build those relationships [with foreign governments]. Then when you have larger problems come down the line, it’s not the first time you’ve seen each other.”