The Treasury Department has launched a new public-private partnership to provide what it said is a more comprehensive approach to defending the financial system from cyberattacks. The new initiative, called “Project Fortress,” will involve information sharing and tools that financial institutions can use to scan for cyber vulnerabilities, according to the agency.
Project Fortress stems from a 2023 executive order from President Biden directing agencies to take steps to improve the nation’s cybersecurity across a range of industries. Through the partnership, the Treasury Department will offer two free tools to financial institutions. The first is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Cyber Hygiene tool, which scans an organization’s internet-facing systems to identify known exploited vulnerabilities and provide actionable feedback. The second is the Treasury’s new Automated Threat Information Feed, which provides financial institutions access to a tailored list of cyberthreats identified by government agencies, international partners and participating financial institutions.
The Treasury Department is also pledging to prioritize its national security tools and law enforcement to go after actors targeting cyber vulnerabilities. The department announced earlier this week that it had sanctioned Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, a Russian national and a leader of the Russia-based LockBit group, for his role in developing and distributing LockBit ransomware.
