The White House this week announced the creation of a new agency to collect and analyze cyber threat information. The new Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, or CTIIC (pronounced “c-tick”), will integrate cyber intelligence from several spy agencies, such as the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency.
The agency was created out of concern that government cyber threat intelligence agencies were not adequately sharing intelligence with each other, possibly leading to gaps that could prevent agencies from uncovering major plots. CTIIC is modeled on the National Counterterrorism Center, which was created after 9/11 as a clearinghouse of terrorism intelligence.
“Currently, no single government entity is responsible for producing coordinated cyber threat assessments” and rapidly sharing the results, said Lisa Monaco, President Obama's homeland security and counterterrorism adviser. CTIIC is intended to fill these gaps, she added.
The announcement came with a call for the private sector, such as water utilities, to share information about major cyber intrusions. In return, says Monaco, government agencies can support the private sector by bringing to bear a full range of government resources to disrupt threats.
Critics say the new agency is redundant and adds another layer of bureaucracy to intelligence analysis efforts. For instance, the Department of Homeland Security operates the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, which is already tasked with coordinating and integrating federal cybersecurity intelligence and working with the private sector to reduce risks.