The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and its Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) conducted their first-ever AI tabletop security incident exercise on June 13 with more than 50 AI experts from government agencies and private sector tech firms.
The four-hour long exercises were created by the JCDC to help in the development of joint planning efforts and to create operational collaboration against cybersecurity incidents utilizing AI-enabled technology.
JCDC, which was authorized by Congress in 2021, is billed by CISA as a way to “unify cyber defenders from organizations worldwide,” and with a mission to proactively gather, analyze, and share “actionable cyber risk information to enable synchronized, holistic cybersecurity planning, cyber defense, and response.”
The tabletop exercise on June 13 “marks another step in our collective commitment to reducing the risks posed by AI,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly. “It also highlights the importance of developing and delivering AI products that are designed with security as the top priority,” she said.
“As the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience, we’re excited to work with our partners to build on this effort to help organizations secure their AI systems,” added Easterly.
Parts of the exercise were geared to support development of an AI Security Incident Collaboration Playbook that will be led by the JCDC and aimed at helping government agencies combat any AI-related attacks. The playbook is slated for release by the end of this year.
The playbook will look to facilitate a working relationship between government, industry, and global partners to better tackle AI-fueled attacks.
“This exercise demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to leveraging its partnerships to ensure that we are all better prepared to handle threats in this space,” said Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division.
“We are stronger when we come together to share information and determine best practices in the evolving AI landscape,” he said. We will continue to work extensively with our interagency and private sector partners to combat bad actors and safeguard infrastructure.”