Dive Brief:

• Los Angeles is one of the largest targets for cyberattacks in the world, facing about 100 million automated cyberattacks every month, according to a Computerworld report. 

• In response, the city uses a new Integrated Security Operations Center to consolidate threat intelligence. It previously used four different locations in its cybersecurity efforts.

• L.A. is a likely target because, as the nation’s second largest city and largest shipping port in the western hemisphere, it sits on a trove of data that is a prime target for cybercriminals. 

Dive Insight:

The city prioritizes cybersecurity and threat information sharing, working with the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Secret Service to share information about the threats it tracks, according to the report. 

To respond and keep up with threats, L.A. follows best practices upheld by many in the cybersecurity industry, particularly when it comes to information sharing. But some organizations are skeptical about sharing threat information, fearful of liability from disclosure.

That attitude may change as organizations face increasingly sophisticated threats. And the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 — which the DHS rolled out final guidelines for earlier this year — allows companies to share cyberthreat information with each other and federal agencies while retaining business immunity.