As website operators grapple to fix security lapses caused by the Heartbleed bug, U.S. regulators are calling on financial institutions to utilize available resources to ensure cybersecurity.
The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) says that it’s important for financial institutions of all sizes to be aware of the constantly emerging cyber threats, and the government-sponsored resources that are available to help identify these threats on a real-time basis. To that end, it is urging firms to take advantage of the resources that are available to identify and help mitigate potential cyber-related risks.
It says that financial institutions should ensure that their information security staff are aware of, and are using resources from government departments such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, and the FBI, to help quickly identify cyber risks as they emerge.
Additionally, it notes that the financial sector has established several regional coalitions to enhance cooperation between the industry and governments; and, that there are Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) that provide risk mitigation information, incident response, alerts and facilitate information sharing.
“Cyber threats have been widely covered in the national media, and we believe that financial institutions and their technology service providers have been managing system updates to mitigate potential vulnerabilities in an effective manner,” said Doreen Eberley, director of the FDIC Division of Risk Management Supervision. However, it also believes that “financial institutions may benefit from greater awareness of the resources available to identify cyber-related risks as quickly as possible.”