The creation of the new National Risk Management Center, which is set to be unveiled on Tuesday, was motivated by the US government’s growing recognition that cyberattacks can not only harm a company or industry, but cause systemic failure across society, the Wall Street Journal reported quoting the leading DHS cyber official Chris Krebs.
Krebs cited last year’s WannaCry ransomware attack, which infected hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries, as the type of cyberattack the new division will try to combat and prevent.
According to the report, the new risk management center will work with other government agencies, as well as with different industries to prioritize risks to critical infrastructure.
US officials have pointed to Russia as the most capable adversary regarding cyberattacks, the report said. Last week, DHS claimed that Russian hackers penetrated energy utilities in the United States with the potential to disrupt the country’s power grid.
On Tuesday, DHS is set to host a national cybersecurity summit in New York City during which Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is expected to officially unveil the new risk management center.
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