The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, or US-CERT, is a division within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) devoted to enhancing the security, resilience, and reliability of the nation’s cyber systems. US-CERT was established in 2003 to protect the nation’s IT infrastructure from outside threats and to ensure agencies are prepared to respond to cyber security incidents.
US-CERT provides a range of services to protect the federal government’s IT systems, including vulnerability management, incident response, incident coordination, penetration testing, and continuous monitoring. US-CERT also works with other organizations, including other government agencies, private industry, and academia, to develop and share best practices for managing cyber security threats.
US-CERT also conducts outreach to help the public become more aware of cyber threats. The team’s goal is to educate people about cyber threats and empower them to make informed decisions to safeguard their devices and networks. US-CERT also provides tools and resources to help organizations and individual’s stay safe online.
US-CERT publishes an annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) campaign to educate the public on the importance of maintaining good cyber security practices. The organization also manages the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), a 24/7/365 operations center that monitors and reacts to cyber security events.
The team also works closely with its partners in government, the private sector, and other nations to share important threat intelligence and facilitate effective responses to cyber incidents. US-CERT’s activities are critical to effectively combating cyber threats on a national level.
