TABLE OF CONTENTS It is important that all organizations that are part of the critical infrastructure participate in the government s national and international watch-andwarning networks to detect and prevent cyberattacks as they emerge. The federal government, particularly the intelligence and law-enforcement communities, play a significant role in providing, coordinating, and ensuring that threat information is understood across all levels of government.
In addition, it is recognized that state and local law enforcement, as well as private-sector security entities, are valuable sources of localized threat information. These organizations possess a better understanding of the vulnerabilities impacting their facilities, systems, and functions than does the federal government. Development of accepted and efficient processes and systems for communication and the exchange of crucial security-related information is critical to improve homeland security.
Information sharing and warning systems are discussed in Chapter 1 and Chapter 4, along with steps that IT managers should take to participate in those systems. Chapter 7 covers participation in a national response system.
