Q: What is InfraGard?
A: InfraGard is a government and private sector alliance that was developed by FBI Cleveland in 1996 to promote protection of critical information systems. The program has grown to an FBI Headquarters supported program and all 56 field offices support at least one InfraGard Chapter within their territory through the assignment of one ore more Special Agent InfraGard Coordinators. InfraGard provides formal and informal channels for the exchange of information about our nation’s critical infrastructures and key resources. The mission of the InfraGard program is to increase information and intelligence sharing between the FBI and InfraGard members to strengthen the defense of our nation’s critical infrastructures and key resources across FBI priority programs.
Q: Why do we need InfraGard?
A: InfraGard is necessary for several reasons:
- Most infrastructure components are privately owned and operated.
- The public and private sector have a wealth of information on critical infrastructures and key resources to share with one another.
- Critical infrastructures and key resources are often interconnected.
- Globalization of critical infrastructures and key resources increases exposure to potential harm.
- Owners and operators of critical infrastructures and key resources should know the FBI’s needs and where to report incidents.
Q: What does InfraGard address?
A: The primary focus of InfraGard is to share actionable intelligence information for investigative purposes.
Q: How does the U.S. Government benefit from InfraGard?
A: The benefits to the U.S. Government include:
- An increase in cases enhanced and initiated;
- Fulfillment of PDD-63’s requirement for the FBI to play an active role in protecting our critical infrastructures;
- New channels to disseminate cross-sector information from the FBI and other government entities;
- New contacts in the critical infrastructures and key resources community;
- Reliable, trusted critical infrastructures and key resources information from the FBI and other InfraGard members;
- Better understanding of the FBI and other law enforcement resources available to combat cyber and physical threats;
- Education and training on cyber and physical security topics; and
- The opportunity to interact and share information with representatives from the law enforcement community, academia, private industry, and
other government agencies.