The concept of the Cyber Resilience Center (CRC) was started in 2017 after a major cyber attack on a global shipping company in the summer of 2017. This incident halted cargo operations globally and resulted in financial damages of over $300 million to the shipping company.
In 2022, the Port of Los Angeles (Port) became the first seaport in the world to establish an operational CRC. The CRC was collaboratively designed by Port and its supply chain stakeholders (terminal operators, shipping lines, trucking sector, rail sector) and is being operated by IBM. The CRC focuses on detecting and protecting against malicious cyber incidents potentially impacting supply chains. This first-of-its-kind system also greatly improves the quality, quantity, and speed of cyber information sharing, as well as the collective knowledge of threats within the Port’s ecosystem.
Serving as an early warning detector against possible cyberattacks, the CRC enables participants, such as tenants and cargo handlers, to quickly share cyber threat indicators/information with each other and better coordinate defensive responses as needed. Additionally, the CRC falls into the category of a Port Community System (PCS) which serves as an information resource that stakeholders can rely upon to communicate with following a cyber incident.
Unlike traditional Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs), the CRC focuses on cyber risk reduction within its ecosystem. Currently, membership is only available to participants that have operations in Los Angeles, and they must share in order to receive. The CRC solution accommodates small to large enterprises and ensures a system that is non-intrusive, non-disruptive and does not intend to replace their existing security systems. The CRC solves the challenges of delayed cyber security indicators/information sharing that previously took hours, days, weeks and/or months when cyber incidents occurred through trust and partnerships in the ecosystem.