Public-Private Partnerships for Election Systems Cybersecurity

Your Task
For this research project, you will help identify best practices and strategies for encouraging business participation in public-private partnerships designed to improve cybersecurity for the US Elections System. Your deliverable will be a research report that provides an overview of existing public-private partnerships (focus on Election Security), the types of cybersecurity improvements such partnerships address, the potential benefits to industry partners, and the potential risks and/or costs in resources. Your report should also address the types of due diligence activities a company should engage in before committing to participation in information sharing and other public-private partnership activities.
Research:

1. Read / Review the Weekly readings.
2. Research the concepts and structures for public-private partnerships as a means of furthering public policy goals. Your starting resources are:
   a. What are Public Private Partnerships (World Bank)
   https://ppp.worldbank.org/public-private-partnership/overview/what-are-public-private-partnerships
   b. The Policy Cycle
   https://www.policynl.ca/policydevelopment/policycycle.html
3. Research existing or proposed public-private partnerships in cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection for Elections Systems Security. Here are some sources to get you started:
   a. https://gcn.com/articles/2020/02/20/government-industry-partners-election-security.aspx
   b. https://www.lawandsecurity.org/Portals/0/Documents/Cybersecurity.Partnerships.pdf
   c. https://fedtechmagazine.com/article/2020/04/role-dhs-can-play-election-security
4. Research the DHS-led public-private partnership for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity improvements in the area of Election Systems Security. You should also review the requirements and provisions of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for Critical Infrastructure Protection. Research why DHS is encouraging the adoption of the NIST framework.
   a. https://www.dhs.gov/topic/election-security
   b. https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/tips/ST19-002
   c. https://us-cert.cisa.gov/resources/cybersecurity-framework
5. Find additional sources that provide information about public-private partnerships for cybersecurity, i.e. Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) or Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations. Here are two overview/directory web pages to help you get started.
   a. https://www.dhs.gov/isao
   b. https://www.cisecurity.org/ei-isac/

Sample Solution