Agency plans webinar to walk credit unions through ‘holistic cybersecurity resource’

Describing it as a “holistic cybersecurity resource” for credit unions, the institutions’ federal regulator has scheduled an Oct. 28 webinar on a new set of tools it has developed to promote digital safety, the agency said Wednesday.

The 60-minute webinar will cover the National Credit Union Administration’s (NCUA) “Automated Cybersecurity Evaluation Toolbox (ACET)” and features participation by agency Board Chairman Todd M. Harper. The event is scheduled to get underway at 3 p.m. ET.

According to the agency, the ACET is a downloadable self-contained application, developed for credit unions by the agency, which guides credit unions through the ACET “Maturity Assessment.” NCUA said that component is aligned with the Federal Financial Information Examination Council’s (FFIEC’s) Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (CAT). The maturity assessment, the agency said, allows credit unions of all sizes to determine and measure their own cybersecurity preparedness over time.

The ACET also contains, the NCUA said, several other types of industry-recognized cybersecurity best practices and standards, including the “Ransomware Readiness Assessment (RRA)” from the federal government’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). According to the NCUA, the RRA is a “self-assessment based on a tiered set of practices to help organizations better assess how well they are equipped to defend and recover from a ransomware incident.”

The webinar will include a question-and-answer session with participants. Registration for the event is now open, the NCUA said; there is no fee.

Understanding the Automated Cybersecurity Examination Tool (ACET)