Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC)

What Are Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs)?

Information sharing and analysis centers (ISACs) are collaborative organizations that facilitate the exchange of cyberthreat intelligence among industry members. ISACs play a critical role in strengthening collective cybersecurity defenses by providing timely threat information, best practices, and coordination during cyber incidents.

How the ISAC Came to Be

The key event that led to the formation of ISACs was the growing recognition in the late 1990s that cyber threats posed a serious risk to national security and critical infrastructure. This was reinforced by:  

• The rise of state-sponsored cyber threats and increasingly aggressive hacking incidents.  

• Growing dependency on digital networks in sectors like finance, energy, and transportation (which has since expanded to pretty much everyone everywhere).  

• The findings of the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (PCCIP) in 1997, which highlighted the vulnerabilities of U.S. critical systems (and 28 years later, these systems are still at risk).  

As a result, PDD-63 encouraged the private sector to establish industry-specific ISACs to facilitate real-time threat intelligence sharing and collaboration between public and private entities.  

The Financial Services ISAC (FS-ISAC) was the first ISAC to be established in 1999. Today, they operate globally, serving industries such as finance, healthcare, energy, and transportation. While these entities may compete with each other as part of their business model, it's in everyone's’ interest to collaborate when one of them is under attack or thinks they may have identified a potential attack. ISACs enable members to detect, mitigate, and respond to cyber threats by providing a centralized platform for sharing actionable threat intelligence. They play a critical role in strengthening sector-wide security postures, ensuring that threats identified by one organization can be used to protect many.  

By participating in ISACs, businesses gain access to actionable threat intelligence that helps them anticipate, detect, and mitigate cyberattacks. ISACs enable organizations to respond faster to threats, enhance compliance with industry regulations, and improve overall security posture.

What Benefits Do ISACs Provide?    

ISACs offer their members a range of benefits that improve cybersecurity resilience across industry organizations:  

• Threat intelligence sharing: Members gain access to timely, relevant, and actionable cyber threat intelligence, normally enriched with context and analysis.  ‍
• Collaboration and peer support: ISACs provide a trusted environment where organizations can discuss cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and best practices without fear of competitive or legal repercussions.  ‍
• Early warning alerts: ISACs distribute real-time alerts about active cyber threats and IOCs, helping members proactively defend against emerging attacks.  ‍
• Sector-specific insights: Since ISACs focus on specific industries, the intelligence they provide is optimized to the unique risks and challenges of that sector.  ‍
• Regulatory and compliance support: Many ISACs help members align with regulatory frameworks by offering guidance on compliance requirements and best practices.  

How Do ISACs Share Intelligence?  

ISACs use multiple channels to facilitate intelligence sharing, with two primary approaches:  

• Unidirectional sharing: Some ISACs function as information distributors, collecting intelligence from government agencies (such as CISA), private-sector partners, and open source threat intel, then disseminating it to their members.  ‍
• Bidirectional sharing: More advanced ISACs encourage members to contribute intelligence, creating a collaborative ecosystem where organizations report threats, share indicators of compromise (IoCs), and discuss mitigation strategies in real time.  

ISACs use secure platforms, including threat intelligence platforms (TIPs), information sharing and analysis organizations (ISAOs), and industry-specific portals to ensure intelligence is shared securely and efficiently. Some also integrate with machine-readable threat intelligence (MRTI) standards like STIX/TAXII to automate the exchange of threat data.  

Real-World Examples of ISACs  

Some well-known ISACs include:  

• FS-ISAC: Serves the global financial industry, sharing intelligence on threats targeting banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions.  ‍
• Health-ISAC: Supports the healthcare sector by providing intelligence on cyber threats targeting hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers.  ‍
• Aviation ISAC (A-ISAC): Focuses on cybersecurity threats to airlines, airports, and aerospace companies.  ‍
• Automotive ISAC (Auto-ISAC): Facilitates intelligence sharing across the automotive industry, including manufacturers, suppliers, and autonomous vehicle technology firms.  ‍
• Energy ISAC (E-ISAC): Strengthens cybersecurity defenses for the electricity, oil, and gas sectors.

How Anomali Supports ISACs  

Anomali enables ISACs to enhance their intelligence-sharing capabilities through its advanced threat intelligence solution, ThreatStream. By providing ISACs and their members with access to automated intelligence ingestion, enrichment, and correlation, Anomali empowers organizations to detect and respond to threats more quickly and effectively.  

Anomali’s Security and IT Operations platform integrates with industry standards like STIX/TAXII and offers customizable workflows to support both unidirectional and bidirectional intelligence sharing. Learn more about how Anomali supports ISACs and threat intelligence sharing here.

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