Control Systems Security Program (CSSP)
Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group (ICSJWG)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Control Systems Security Program (CSSP) established the Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group (ICSJWG) to facilitate information sharing and reduce the risk to the nation’s industrial control systems.
The ICSJWG is a collaborative and coordinating body operating under the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) requirements. The ICSJWG provides a vehicle for communicating and partnering across all Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources Sectors (CIKR) between federal agencies and departments, as well as private asset owner/operators of industrial control systems. The goal of the ICSJWG is to continue and enhance the collaborative efforts of the industrial control systems stakeholder community in securing CIKR by accelerating the design, development, and deployment of secure industrial control systems.
ICSJWG 2010 Fall Conference – October 25-28, 2010
The Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group (ICSJWG) 2010 Fall Conference will be held on October 25-28, 2010 in Seattle, Washington USA at the Renaissance Seattle Marriott Hotel. This event will provide control systems stakeholders from industry, government, academia, international, vendor, and research and development communities with an opportunity to network and engage in discussions related to securing control systems.
The ICSJWG Conference will consist of panel discussions, presentations, training, and working group meetings on various topics such as emerging technologies, standards development, threat and incident reporting, analysis tools and techniques, roadmap development initiatives, workforce development and certification, vulnerability management, research and development, information sharing, and international coordination.
An 8-hour Introduction to Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity will also be offered on Thursday, October 28 at the conference site. Attendance at the conference is not required to attend the training.
The ICSJWG 2010 Spring Conference was a big success, as over 300 industry-wide participants came together for the three-day conference and training. The conference provided participants with a chance to engage in discussions about control system security, network with others in the industry, and learn about the latest initiatives to improve controls systems security within the nation’s critical infrastructure. The three-day conference activities included a day devoted to ICSJWG subgroup meetings, a day of presentations given by industry leaders in control systems cybersecurity, and a day dedicated to training in basic concepts of industrial control systems cybersecurity. The speaker’s presentations are now available on-line.
Presentations at the ICSJWG 2009 Fall Conference — November 3 - 5, 2009
Presentation slide sets from the Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group 2009 Fall Conference held at the Hilton Garden Inn on November 3-5, 2009 in Idaho Falls, Idaho are now available. This event provided control systems stakeholders from industry, government, academia, international, vendor, and research and development communities with an opportunity to network and engage in discussions related to securing control systems.
ICSJWG Subgroups strive to address cybersecurity challenges; participation is encouraged
The ICSJWG currently operates six subgroups which were formed to address specific cybersecurity challenges facing the industrial control system stakeholder community. Each subgroup has developed goals and milestones to address these challenges and participation by contributing ideas, sharing information, or working toward solutions is encouraged. If you’d like to get involved and participate in these subgroups, please contact ICSJWG at ICSJWG@dhs.gov. Below is a brief description of each of the subgroups with links to their charters.
Information Sharing Subgroup: The Information Sharing Subgroup will develop recommendations to facilitate greater information sharing of vulnerabilities and threats to control systems among industry, vendors, and public sector. The Subgroup will work to improve the vulnerability management processes and create incident reporting and handling guidance.
International Subgroup: The International Subgroup will focus on enhancing international collaboration, information sharing, and incident response by evaluating the challenges of sharing sensitive information between responsible national and government authorities.
Research and Development Subgroup: The Research and Development Subgroup will identify existing and planned R&D needs and priorities as they relate to industrial control systems and identify desired areas of ICS research not currently underway.
Roadmap to Secure Industrial Control Systems: The Roadmap to Secure ICS Subgroup will plan, coordinate, and develop a cross-sector roadmap to address cyber risk management within control systems environments.
Vendor Subgroup: The Vendor Subgroup will identify ways to improve information sharing between vendors, owners and operators, and other organizations involved in securing ICS. The Subgroup will create a more effective framework for cyber risk management within ICS environments.
Workforce Development Subgroup: The Workforce Development Subgroup will identify existing industrial control systems security curricula and make recommendations to enhance or create a new curriculum. The subgroup will also evaluate certification programs for control systems security professionals and work to develop an outreach plan for the control systems security workforce.
ICSJWG Newsletters
Beginning in July 2010, ICSJWG will move from publishing a monthly newsletter to a quarterly newsletter. This change in format will allow us to include articles of interest from the ICSJWG community.
If you would like to submit a short article of general interest pertaining to control systems security for consideration, please use this electronic form (coming soon). Submitted articles will be reviewed and approved by ICSJWG prior to publishing. The deadline for submissions for the September 2010 newsletter is August 13, 2010.
Additional information
Please contact the Control Systems Security Program, ICSJWG Office at icsjwg@dhs.gov.
The Control Systems Security Program maintains the historical archives of the PCSF website to ensure continuity for the industrial control systems stakeholder community. The historical archives of the PCSF website can be found here.