The 11th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month is currently taking place and will continue to the end of October. To continue the discussion on cyber awareness, please take a moment to read about the interagency Cybersecurity Forum that was launched on October 10, 2014.

As a regulator in the maritime industry, the Coast Guard is proactive in addressing safety, security and stewardship concerns as they relate to cyber and cyber security.

“The Coast Guard understands that potential future guidance regarding cyber is an increasing area of concern to all and will continue to leverage its partnerships with industry, state, local, territorial and tribal stakeholders,” said Cmdr. Nicholas Wong, chief of domestic ports division.

The Coast Guard actively seeks opportunities to forge new partnerships and on October 10, 2014, senior officials from independent and executive branch regulators launched the interagency Cybersecurity Forum for Independent and Executive Branch Agencies.

The Forum is chaired by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and included participation from the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as well as senior officials from the Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Treasury, National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The Forum’s objectives are to enhance communication, lessons learned and to develop a common understanding of cyber security activities through the sharing of best practices and exploring approaches to enhance cyber security protections.

• Respond here on Maritime Commons or tweet your questions or comments to @maritimecommons and use the hashtag #maritimecyber
• Additional topics will be discussed each week of October.
• One question per tweet or blog post so we can fully address each one individually
• Stay on topic and keep questions to issues involving cyber
• Comments are moderated and those that stray off topic or are unprofessional will not be approved

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.