US Cybersecurity Agency to Set Up Attache Office in London

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Looks to Extend Reach Globally
US Cybersecurity Agency to Set Up Attache Office in London
U.S. Embassy in London (Photo: U.S. Department of State)

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is opening a London office in a first step toward boosting its global reach.

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Julie Johnson will serve as the first U.K. attache; she previously served as a critical infrastructure protection federal adviser in New York.

The London office will help model its future attache offices, CISA says while announcing the appointment.

"Digital threat actors don't operate neatly within borders. To help build resilience against threats domestically, we must think globally," says Jen Easterly, CISA director.

The attache will work directly with counterparts in the U.K. government and with staff in the U.S. embassy. CISA anticipates Johnson's presence in London will lead to improved incident response coordination between the U.S. and the U.K., faster responses to shared threats and more effective collaboration on common policy objectives. The American agency already has a close relationship with the National Cyber Security Center, the public-facing cybersecurity arm of British spy agency GCHQ.

CISA in 2021 rolled out a strategy envisioning a global role for itself in cybersecurity information sharing and incident response. Its goals are greater cooperation with foreign governments in a bid to obtain more threat indicator data, international capacity building, engagement and outreach, and encouraging foreign governments to adopt cybersecurity policies similar to those in the U.S.

A global network of attaches would hardly be a first for a federal agency. The FBI has attaches across the world to fight transnational crime and boost interdepartmental collaboration. They are established through mutual agreement with the host country and are situated in the U.S. embassy or consulate in that nation.

Johnson previously led research on micro grid and physical-cyber convergence, CISA says. She also did stints at the Department of State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.


About the Author

Prajeet Nair

Prajeet Nair

Assistant Editor, Global News Desk, ISMG

Nair previously worked at TechCircle, IDG, Times Group and other publications, where he reported on developments in enterprise technology, digital transformation and other issues.




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