cybersecurity

Security Workers Classified as Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers

President Trump has issued an updated Coronavirus Guidance for America. The guidance states that: "If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, such as healthcare services, and pharmaceutical and food supply, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule."

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is responsible as assigned under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide strategic guidance, promoting a national unity of effort and coordinate an overall federal effort to ensure security and resilience to the nation's critical infrastructure. This means trusted partnerships with the public and private sectors, delivering infrastructure resilience assistance and guidance to a broad range of partners.

According to a directive signed by Christopher C. Krebs, CISA director, a list of essential critical infrastructure workers aims to help state and local officials to protection communities, also ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety. The range of operations and services that are deemed essential include staffing operations centers, maintaining and repairing critical infrastructure, operating call centers, working construction and performing management functions. The industries that require support medical and healthcare, telecommunications, information technology systems, defense, food and agriculture, transportation and logistics, energy, water and wastewater, law enforcement and public works.

"These identified sectors and workers are not intended to be the authoritative or exhaustive list of critical infrastructure sectors and functions that should continue during the COVID-19 response," Krebs wrote in his directive. "Instead, State and local officials should use their own judgment in using their authorities and issuing implementation directives and guidance."

State, local, tribal, and territorial government and in charge of implementing and executing response activities in communities under their jurisdiction. The federal government assumes a supporting role. CISA has committed to continue working with partners in the critical infrastructure and update the nation's response to COVID-19 evolves. 

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Maximizing Your Security Budget This Year

    Perimeter Security Standards for Multi-Site Businesses

    When you run or own a business that has multiple locations, it is important to set clear perimeter security standards. By doing this, it allows you to assess and mitigate any potential threats or risks at each site or location efficiently and effectively. Read Now

  • New Research Shows a Continuing Increase in Ransomware Victims

    GuidePoint Security recently announced the release of GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team’s (GRIT) Q1 2024 Ransomware Report. In addition to revealing a nearly 20% year-over-year increase in the number of ransomware victims, the GRIT Q1 2024 Ransomware Report observes major shifts in the behavioral patterns of ransomware groups following law enforcement activity – including the continued targeting of previously “off-limits” organizations and industries, such as emergency hospitals. Read Now

  • OpenAI's GPT-4 Is Capable of Autonomously Exploiting Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

    According to a new study from four computer scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, OpenAI’s paid chatbot, GPT-4, is capable of autonomously exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities without any human assistance. Read Now

  • Getting in Someone’s Face

    There was a time, not so long ago, when the tradeshow industry must have thought COVID-19 might wipe out face-to-face meetings. It sure seemed that way about three years ago. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation. 3

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises. 3

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3