HHS Opens Health Care Cybersecurity Center
"We know that the majority of the cybersecurity attacks that occurred over the past year could have been prevented with quality and timely information, and the heightened importance of sharing information cannot be stressed enough," said Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications in DHS.
The deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Eric Hargan, officially opened the Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center, known as HC3, on Oct. 29. As part of October's National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and in coordination with the Trump administration's rollout of the National Cyber Strategy, the opening underscores HHS' commitment to support and improve the health sector's cybersecurity defenses. "HHS is proud to work with the health community to better protect Americans' health data and confidential information. Today's announcement is a recognition of the importance we place on stakeholder engagement as part of our cybersecurity work," Hargan said.
Hargan and other HHS leaders cut the ribbon for the new HC3.
"We believe that when a risk is shared across sectors, the only way to manage that risk successfully is to manage it collectively," said Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications in DHS. "We know that the majority of the cybersecurity attacks that occurred over the past year could have been prevented with quality and timely information, and the heightened importance of sharing information cannot be stressed enough. The HC3 is a vital capability for the early detection and coordination of information between the private sector and the federal government and with cyber professionals across the federal government."
HHS has developed a coordination center in the HC3 to coordinate the activities across the sector and report to DHS threats, profiles, and preventive strategies.