The City of Los Angeles announced Sept. 17 a new effort to harden citizens’ defenses against cybercrime.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city has partnered with IBM Security to develop a free threat sharing platform called the LA Cyber Lab’s Threat Intelligence Sharing Platform (TISP). The system comes along with an app and will enable any user to submit and analyze suspicious emails to determine if they are attempted phishing attacks. The development of TISP was funded by a $3 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“Public safety in the 21st century isn’t just about protecting our physical streets and neighborhoods – we need to protect the digital presence that is part of everyday life for our residents and businesses,” said Mayor Garcetti. “The Threat Intelligence Sharing Platform and mobile app will advance the LA Cyber Lab’s work that has made our city a national cybersecurity model, all while better defending Angelenos from cyber threats.”
TISP works by collecting cyber threats from a wide range of organizations, including city agencies, government partners, and private business that have volunteered to participate. The mayor’s office noted that data can be shared anonymously. After collecting and analyzing the data, the Cyber Lab will generate threat intelligence and trend analysis for all participating members, including smaller sized businesses who “would ordinarily not be able to track these threats.” The city said that initial partners include City National Bank, IBM, AT&T, Cedars-Sinai, and the City of Santa Monica.
The LA Cyber Lab is a non-profit public-private partnership that is “dedicated to protecting the public and businesses from cyber threats by facilitating and promoting innovation, education, and information sharing between Los Angeles’ public and private sectors.”
“The Los Angeles Cyber Lab is a great example of how public-private partnerships are essential to protecting our nation from growing cyberattacks,” said Christy Riccardi, Regional Director at DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
A press release said that both the platform and app are free to users and “will help both businesses and the public stay secure.” The app is available for download on the Apple and Google Play stores.
