It's always sad to see a well-functioning venture killed by friendly fire. I joined the UK's CISP (Cybersecurity Information Sharing Partnership) circa 2017. At that time, CISP had been running for four years.
At its heart, it was an active forum, peopled by information security professionals from diverse public and private sectors in the UK. Was it perfect? No. But professionally, it was an invaluable resource. I found it particularly helpful when investigating issues specific to the legal and maritime sectors, while I managed cybersecurity at international law firm Hill Dickinson. Importantly, much of the information I received and shared on CISP was not available anywhere else, not least information covered by amber/red TLP ratings.
In late 2023, NCSC replaced the forum software with an all-new site based on Microsoft SharePoint. Like many CISP members I was more than willing to attempt to use the new platform. But it quickly became apparent that it was impossible to communicate with the ease we'd previously enjoyed. SharePoint is not forum software.
Active use of CISP evaporated. And today, NCSC has given notice that CISP will be mothballed.
Sad as I am to have lost such a valuable resource (in 2023), I would like to thank all the wonderful people at NCSC that made it happen, and who successfully evangelised its merits. I know your resources are stretched thinly and there's no blame here. If you are ever tasked with recreating the original CISP magic though, count me in.
#CISP #NCSC #eulogy
