Protection of critical infrastructure comes up as US-Mexico Working Group on Cyber Issues meet

The U.S.-Mexico Working Group on Cyber Issues met last week to advance bilateral cooperation on cyber issues in line with the two countries’ shared commitment to building an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet and stable cyberspace. Additionally, the delegations discussed specific cooperation efforts in cyber defense and cybersecurity, including protecting critical infrastructure.

“Cybersecurity is an area that is becoming increasingly relevant for society.  During the meeting, the delegations addressed various aspects of each country’s institutional structure and strategy for dealing with threats in cyberspace,” according to a joint statement released by the governments of the U.S. and Mexico. 

“ They also discussed institutional capabilities to prevent and counter cybercrime, as well as efforts to foster a greater culture of cybersecurity awareness and cyber hygiene,” the statement added. 

The statement said that the meeting on Aug. 10 was the initial bilateral cyber dialogue since the establishment of the U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities. The countries recognize that a secure, resilient, and stable cyberspace is fundamental for developing the public and private sectors and for people worldwide to benefit from the free online flow of information. 

“For this reason, cyber issues have become a priority in the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship, as demonstrated by their inclusion in the High-Level Security Dialogue (HLSD) and the inclusion of cybersecurity risk management issues in the High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED),” the statement says.

The governments also discussed their shared interest in the multilateral sphere to promote access to an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet for all citizens.  The delegation also reaffirmed the applicability of international law in cyberspace. It will continue to promote adherence to and implementation of the framework of responsible state behavior adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to promote stability and accountability in cyberspace.

“Both governments committed to continue strengthening cooperation to build a more secure, resilient region and expand collaboration to address shared threats in cyberspace,” the statement says. “These efforts will bolster the ability of the two countries’ societies and economies to benefit from the opportunities that new digital and information technologies offer.”

The delegation will bring about enhanced cooperation between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Mexican counterparts on a host of issues, including information sharing, incident response management, ransomware, law enforcement and investigations, public-private partnerships, and the protection of critical infrastructure.

The working group is also set to strengthen coordination among bilateral cooperation initiatives focused on cyber and digital economy issues, including promoting the development of a secure, resilient, and reliable technology ecosystem. The coordinated approach will be reflected in a work plan to follow up on the group’s work within the Bicentennial Framework and work under the HLED. It will also strengthen technical coordination mechanisms for the attention and response to cyber incidents affecting shared and national critical information infrastructures.

The working group will also increase bilateral cooperation for the exchange of cyber threat intelligence information, as appropriate, leading to the investigation of cybercrimes. In addition, it will continue bilateral training initiatives and related efforts to promote a culture of cybersecurity for federal and state agencies, with a special emphasis on security and law enforcement agencies, and foster a cybersecurity awareness and incident reporting culture within the general public and the private sector in each country.

The working group will also continue to share information on cybersecurity resources and support active participation and engagement in initiatives, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 and the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) community, including events such as the Regional Initiative for Cybersecurity Education and Training (RICET).

Additionally, the delegation is set to continue dialogue and collaboration regarding multilateral processes on cybersecurity, including in the Organization of American States Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (OAS-CICTE) Working Group on Cooperation and Confidence Building Measures in Cyberspace and on cybercrime, including in discussions at the UN Ad Hoc Committee.

It will also continue engagement in multi-stakeholder fora such as the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), and the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), the statement says. It will also continue to strengthen and advance efforts to promote fundamental freedoms and respect for human rights in cyberspace. Furthermore, it will coordinate with Canada to convene a Trilateral Cyber Experts Meeting in 2022, consistent with commitments made at the 2021 North American Leaders’ Summit.

The meeting between the two countries comes at a time when the ‘systemically important’ label, attached to an elite group of banks as a result of post-financial-crisis regulatory reforms, may be extended to include the U.S. critical infrastructure industries and the finance sector. The measure grew out of a recommendation in the 2020 Cyberspace Solarium Commission report to ‘codify the concept of systemically important critical infrastructure,’ and is championed by commission member Jim Langevin, a soon-to-retire Democratic representative from Rhode Island.

Last month, the CISA and the Ukrainian State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to strengthen collaboration on shared cybersecurity priorities. The memorandum expands upon CISA’s existing relationship with the Government of Ukraine in information exchanges and sharing best practices on cyber incidents, critical infrastructure security technical exchanges, cybersecurity training, and joint exercises.

Anna Ribeiro

Industrial Cyber News Editor. Anna Ribeiro is a freelance journalist with over 14 years of experience in the areas of security, data storage, virtualization and IoT.