DHS Offering Private Companies Free Cyber Security Assessments

Since 2014, the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") has been conducting tests on U.S. companies as part of a program aimed at decreasing the United States' overall susceptibility to cyber threats and impacts.

This program is operated by the National Cybersecurity Assessment and Technical Services ("NCATS") team, which delivers proactive cyber security prevention, protection, and response services. According to the DHS website, NCATS "provides an objective third-party perspective on the current cybersecurity posture of the stakeholder's unclassified operational/business networks."

NCATS services are offered free-of-charge and initially were limited to government organizations. However, DHS later expanded the program's scope to include private sector organizations representing critical infrastructure sectors. According to KrebsOnSecurity, in fiscal year 2015, NCATS provided support to 53 private sector partners, primarily in the energy and financial services