Novel DHS cyber testing centers sought by new legislation

New legislation introduced by Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., would require the Department of Homeland Security to establish at least two cybersecurity testing centers aimed at further centralizing security evaluations of network and critical infrastructure devices and technologies, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Aside from prioritizing information and communications technology and network industrial equipment security, the centers that will be created under the Critical Technology Security Centers Act of 2023 would also be tasked with reviewing open-source software and other tools leveraged by the federal government, as well as developing vulnerability detection and elimination capabilities. The bill would allot $42 million in funding for the centers for fiscal 2024, with budgets increasing to $52 million by 2028. "The Centers could also play an important role as project managers and, in some cases, would provide funding for the broader research community already working toward similar ends," said a spokesperson for Torres. Such legislation has received support from cybersecurity experts but implementation could be challenging, said Vulcan Cyber Senior Technical Engineer Mike Parkin. The bill's proposed centers have been recommended by Viakoo CEO Bud Broomhead to be patterned after Information Sharing and Analysis Centers and other cybersecurity initiatives sponsored by universities.