Reference no: EM132656671

CSIA360 Cybersecurity in Government Organizations - University of Maryland Global Campus

Project : Public-Private Partnerships for Election Systems Cybersecurity

For this research project, you will helpidentify best practices and strategies for encouraging business participation in public-private partnerships designed to improve cybersecurity for the the US Elections System. Your deliverable will be a research report that provides an overview of existing public-private partnerships (focus on Election Security), the types of cybersecurity improvements such partnerships address, the potential benefits to industry partners, and the potential risks and/or costs in resources. Your report should also address the types of due diligence activities a company should engage in before committing to participation in information sharing and other public-private partnership activities.

Research:
1. Read / Review the Weekly readings.
2. Research the concepts and structures for public-private partnerships as a means of furthering public policy goals. Your starting resources are:
a. What are Public Private Partnerships (World Bank)
b. The Policy Cycle
3. Research existing or proposed public-private partnerships in cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection for Elections Systems Security. Here are some sources to get you started:
4. Research the DHS-led public-private partnership for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity improvements in the area of Election Systems Security. You should also review the requirements and provisions of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for Critical Infrastructure Protection. Research why DHS is encouraging the adoption of the NIST framework.
5. Find additional sourcesthat provide information about public-private partnerships for cybersecurity, i.e. Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) or Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations. Here are two overview/directory web pages to help you get started.
Write:
Write a five- to seven-page research reportthat includes a summary of your research. At a minimum, your report must include the following:
1. An introduction or overview for public-private partnershipsthat provides definitions and addresses the laws, regulations, and policies that permit this type of cooperation between federal, state, and local governments and private companies. This introduction should be suitable for an executive audience.
2. A separate section thatprovides an overview of public-private partnerships for Elections Systems cybersecurity that addresses the types of activities contributed by a company (e.g. information sharing, development of threat intelligence, development of risk profiles, etc.). You should providethree or more specific examples.
3. An analysis of whether participation in a public-private partnership in the area of Elections Security is likely to have benefits for businesses (with specific examples of those benefits). After you address the benefits, address the problem of costs and/or risks which a company could expect to face (with at least three or more specific examples). (One risk to consider is how a partnership exposes information about company operations to the federal government.)
4. A set of recommendations or best practices for companies to engage in before committing to participation in a public-private partnership for cybersecurity. (Address the requirement for due diligence in decision-making.)
5. A separate closing section in which you summarize your research and recommendation(s).

Attachment:- Public-Private Partnerships for Election Systems Cybersecurity.rar