Sean Cairncross also outlined plans for a cyber academy that would combine venture capital and other private sector initiatives with a service component.
The White House plans to apply the approach behind its Texas water cybersecurity pilot to other critical infrastructure sectors in the near future, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said Thursday.
Speaking at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit on stage with OPM Director Scott Kupor, Cairncross said his office would announce the additional sectors soon as it evaluates how to expand Project Watershed 250, which pairs water utilities with government and industry cybersecurity assistance. He did not identify the sectors or give a launch date for the additional efforts.
The goal is to “find a specific, concrete solution, and then scale off of that,” he said.
The water pilot, launched Aug. 31 in San Antonio, brings together the Office of the National Cyber Director, Texas Cyber Command, the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and private companies to identify vulnerabilities in water systems and help utilities address them.
Cairncross said water was a starting point because providers often lack the funding and technical capacity to adequately defend their systems. The pilot is intended to test whether industry partnerships can lower costs, deploy new technology and improve operators’ ability to protect their facilities, he said. The White House had been exploring pilot programs for multiple infrastructure sectors with private companies for some time.
Separately, Cairncross said his office is developing a cyber academy proposal that would connect venture capital and other private sector initiatives with a service component intended to attract people into cybersecurity work, a topic he has discussed in several other public appearances. He said the office would have more to share soon without providing a timeline.
The proposal would “knit together elements of venture capital and other private sector initiatives” and seek to “align patriotic and economic incentives,” he said. He did not identify participating investors or explain how the financing would work.