Agency Information Collection Activities: Nationwide Cyber Security Review Assessment (NCSR), 68459-68460 [2024-19118]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 165 (Monday, August 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68459-68460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19118]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. CISA-2024-0021]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Nationwide Cyber 
Security Review Assessment (NCSR)

AGENCY: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments; revision.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: DHS CISA Cybersecurity Division (CSD) submits the following 
information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until October 25, 
2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number CISA-
2024-0021, by following the instructions below for submitting comment 
via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.
    Instructions: All comments received must include the agency name 
and docket number Docket # CISA-2024-0021. All comments received will 
be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Shannon Moser at 202-603-6924 or 
at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In its reports to the Department of Homeland 
Security Appropriations Act, 2010, Congress requested a Nationwide 
Cyber Security Review (NCSR) from the National Cyber Security Division 
(NCSD), the predecessor organization of the Cybersecurity Division 
(CSD). S. Rep. No. 111-31, at 91 (2009), H.R. Rep. No. 111-298, at 96 
(2009). The House Conference Report accompanying the Department of 
Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010 ``note[d] the importance of 
a comprehensive effort to assess the security level of cyberspace at 
all levels of government'' and directed DHS to ``develop the necessary 
tools for all levels of government to complete a cyber network security 
assessment so that a full measure of gaps and capabilities can be 
completed in the near future.'' H.R. Rep. No. 111-298, at 96 (2009). 
Concurrently, in its report accompanying the Department of Homeland 
Security Appropriations Bill, 2010, the Senate Committee on 
Appropriations recommended that DHS ``report on the status of cyber 
security measures in place, and gaps in all 50 States and the largest 
urban areas.'' S. Rep. No. 111-31, at 91 (2009).
    The Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended, established ``a 
national cybersecurity and communications integration center (``the 
Center'') . . . to carry out certain responsibilities of the 
Director,'' including the provision of assessments. 6 U.S.C. 659(b). 
The Act also directs the composition of the Center to include an entity 
that collaborates with State and local governments on cybersecurity 
risks and incidents and has entered into a voluntary information 
sharing relationship with the Center. 6 U.S.C. 659(d)(1)(E). The 
Multistate Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), a 
division of the Center for internet Security, currently fulfills this 
function. CSD currently funds CIS's MS-ISAC division through a 
Cooperative Agreement and maintains a close relationship with this 
entity. As part of the Cooperative Agreement, CISA directs the MS-ISAC 
to produce the NCSR as contemplated by Congress. Generally, CSD has 
authority to perform risk and vulnerability assessments for Federal and 
non-Federal entities, with consent and upon request. CSD performs these 
assessments in accordance with its authority to provide voluntary 
technical assistance to Federal and non-Federal entities. See 6 U.S.C. 
659(c)(6). This authority is consistent with the Department's 
responsibility to ``[c]onduct comprehensive assessments of the 
vulnerabilities of the Nation's critical infrastructure in coordination 
with the SSAs [Sector-Specific Agencies, now known as Sector Risk 
Management Agencies] and in collaboration with SLTT [State, Local, 
Tribal, and Territorial] entities and critical infrastructure owners 
and operators.'' Presidential Policy Directive (PPD)-21, at 3. A 
private sector entity or state and local government agency also has 
discretion to use a self-assessment tool offered by CSD or request CSD 
to perform an on-site risk and vulnerability assessment. See 6 U.S.C. 
659(c)(6), 6 U.S.C. 652(e)(1)(C). The NCSR is a voluntary annual self-
assessment.
    Upon submission of the first NCSR report in March 2012, Congress 
further clarified its expectation ``that this survey will be updated 
every other year so that progress may be charted, and further areas of 
concern may be identified.'' S. Rep. No. 112-169, at 100 (2012). In 
each subsequent year, Congress has referenced this NCSR in its 
explanatory comments and recommendations accompanying the Department of 
Homeland Security Appropriations. Consistent with Congressional 
mandates, CSD developed the NCSR to measure the gaps and capabilities 
of cybersecurity programs within SLTT governments. Using the anonymous 
results of the NCSR, CISA delivers a bi-annual summary report to 
Congress that provides a broad picture of the current cybersecurity 
gaps & capabilities of SLTT governments across the nation.
    For a draft copy of the information collection, please contact the 
information contacr listed in this notice.
    Analysis: The assessment allows SLTT governments to manage 
cybersecurity related risks through the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 
(CSF) which consists of best practices, standards, and guidelines. In 
efforts of continuously providing Congress with an accurate 
representation of the SLTT gaps and capabilities the NCSR question

[[Page 68460]]

has been changed in order to keep up with the shifting threat 
landscape.
    The NCSR is an annual voluntary self-assessment that is hosted on 
LogicManager, which is a technology platform that provides a foundation 
for managing policies, controls, risks, assessments, and deficiencies 
across organizational lines of business. The NCSR self-assessment runs 
every year, usually from October-February. In efforts to increase 
participation, the deadline is sometimes extended. The target audience 
for the NCSR are personnel within the SLTT community who are 
responsible for the cybersecurity management within their organization.
    Through the NCSR, CISA and MS-ISAC will examine relationships, 
interactions, and processes governing IT management and the ability to 
effectively manage operational risk. Using the anonymous results of the 
NCSR, CISA delivers a biannual summary report to Congress that provides 
a broad picture of the cybersecurity gaps and capabilities of SLTT 
governments across the nation. The bi-annual summary report is shared 
with MS-ISAC members, NCSR End Users, and Congress. The report is also 
available on the MS-ISAC website, https://www.cisecurity.org/ms-isac/services/ncsr/.
    Upon submission of the NCSR self-assessment, participants will 
immediately receive access to several reports specific to their 
organization and their cybersecurity posture. Additionally, after the 
annual NCSR survey closes there will be a brief NCSR End User Survey 
offered to everyone who completed the NSCR assessment. The survey will 
provide feedback on participants' experiences, such as how they heard 
about the NCSR, what they found or did not find useful, how they will 
utilize the results of their assessment, and other information about 
their current and future interactions with the NCSR.
    The NCSR End User survey follows the regular NCSR and will also be 
fully electronic. It contains 10 multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank 
answers and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The feedback 
survey will be administered via Qualtrics, and settings will be updated 
to opt out of collecting participants' IP addresses.
    The NCSR is a voluntary self-assessment designed to measure the 
gaps and capabilities of cybersecurity programs within state, local, 
tribal and territorial governments. As it is voluntary, we do not know 
the number of potential respondents. To estimate the number of 
respondents, we looked at past participation to forecast what 
participation in the next three years would be. We then took the 
average of the three-year projection as our estimated annual 
respondents. This gave us an estimated 3,719 annual respondents. Table 
1 presents the estimated number of respondents, based on historical 
data.
    This submission is a revision to the current approved PRA 
information collection request that is set to expire on 12/31/2025.
    OMB is particularly interested in comments that:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility.
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used.
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected.
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.

Analysis

    Agency: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
    Title of Collection: Nationwide Cyber Security Review Assessment.
    OMB Control Number: CISA-1670-0040.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: State, local, Tribal, and Territorial Government 
and Private Sector Individuals.
    Number of Respondents: 4,210 for NCSR Assessment, 150 for End User 
Survey.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 2 hours per respondent for NCSR 
Assessment, 0.167 hours (10 minutes) per End User Survey.
    Total Burden Hours: 8,445.
    Total Annualized Respondent Cost: $557,355.
    Total Annualized Government Cost: $547.67.

Robert J. Costello,
Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security, 
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
[FR Doc. 2024-19118 Filed 8-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-LF-P