About the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC)

The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) is a 24x7 center responsible for the production of a common operating picture for cyber and communications across the federal, state, and local government, intelligence and law enforcement communities and the private sector. The NCCIC is operated within DHS’ Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, a component of the National Protection & Programs Directorate.

Learn more about the NCCIC's programs

Mission

Many of our nation’s essential services rely on cyber and communications networks, and threats on these networks are growing in number and sophistication. Due to the vast interconnectedness of cyber and communications technologies – from critical infrastructure, to private businesses, to the public sector, to consumers, it is critically important to share information at a national level, and to fully coordinate response activities.

On a 24x7, steady-state basis, the NCCIC fuses and coordinates information from:

• DHS operational elements, including:
  • U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)
  • Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team, (ICS-CERT)
  • National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications (NCC)
  • DHS Office of Intelligence & Analysis
    
• Federal partners, such as the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, and the National Security Agency
• State and local representation; and
• Private sector and non-government partners.

During a cyber or communications incident, the NCCIC serves as the national response center, able to bring the full capabilities of the federal government to bear, in a coordinated manner, with state, local, and private sector partners.

By integrating information from all partners - public and private, state and federal, in both the cyber and communications arenas - the NCCIC creates and shares a common knowledge, coordinates response activities, and protects our nation’s critical networks.

Leadership and Organization

The NCCIC is led by Director Seán McGurk.

The NCCIC is organized into six functional branches:

• Operations - coordinates incident response efforts internally, with public and private sector partners, and with existing NCCIC operational elements.

• Watch & Warning - fuses information, analysis, requests, and data from DHS and outside sources, and develops recommendations for mitigating emerging threats.

• Analysis - examines data from a wide spectrum of public and private sector partner sources, to inform and enrich the knowledge of existing and emerging threats.

• Planning - develops strategic plans for the NCCIC, writes action plans used to respond to and manage real-world emergencies, and documents incidents as they evolve.
  

• Assist & Assess - coordinates the deployment of appropriate personnel from existing operational units to the site of an incident to analyze, contain, and mitigate the effects of a cyber or communications emergency.
  

• Liaison - ensures information sharing between the NCCIC and its partners is seamless and constant, and that activities are coordinated and collaborative.