US chemical companies to review cybersecurity programs

The US chemical sector is the focus of a new federal program to toughen industrial cybersecurity protections. Chemical companies will join the electric, pipeline, and water sectors in efforts to reduce cyber threats, according to an Oct. 26 White House announcement. The Chemical Action Plan was developed by leading chemical companies and the US government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in collaboration with the American Chemistry Council, an industry trade association. The plan will serve as a road map to guide chemical companies’ assessment of their current cybersecurity practices during a “100-day sprint,” says ACC spokesperson Scott Jensen. The initial priority is high-risk facilities that present significant chemical release hazards. The program is intended to foster collaboration among chemical sector owners and operators and the government to encourage deployment of technologies based on each chemical facility’s own risk assessment. The federal government will play a secondary role; it will not select, endorse, or recommend specific technologies or providers, which will be left to industry, the White House announcement says.