Information Security Office

The Information Security Office (ISO) is responsible for evaluating and responding to cyber risks to the City’s technical estate.

The ISO, created in 2013, performs enterprise security monitoring and response. The ISO works in a “Shared Services” model, evaluating and addressing  risks and vulnerabilities within the City. This model creates a center of excellence within ISO and results in significant operational efficiencies and cost savings over department driven responses.

ISOs Key Objectives:

  • Develop and enforce an information security strategy, framework, polies and procedures that align City of Chicago business need, legislative and regulatory requirements and industry best practices
  • Assist City of Chicago IT projects and functional areas with the development of efficient processes that are required to meet requirements as defined by the Information Security Office and/or regulatory standards
  • Develop and support a NIST 800-30 and NIST 800-53 risk management framework to be used in information security solutions and asset prioritization
  • Develop a security awareness program to ensure that City of Chicago users understand their responsibility in protecting City of Chicago assets and information
  • Ensure that information security controls assist privacy efforts
  • Provide information security consulting and support to City of Chicago agencies in the area of compliance review, requirements definition, security risk assessment/measurement, security architecture and operational processes
  • Monitor and measure information security vulnerabilities and incidents and provide timely response to ensure confidentiality, integrity, availability and accountability of City of Chicago and its third-parties
  • Communicate the occurrence of significant security incidents, news, Information Security Office decisions and actions with City of Chicago

Confidentiality and Acceptable Use Policy

Information Security Policy

 

Information Security Office Shared Services

The ISO is in the process of building the following 12 Shared Services:
Compliance Assurance (CA)

Ensure technical environment exceeds minimum compliance requirements (PCI, HIPAA). Provide direction and coordination during assessment and audit processes.

Critical Application Access Recertification (CAAR)
Perform ad-hoc and quarterly review of access rights to ensure proper governance and control.

Firewall Change Review (FCR)
Provide secondary approval and segregation of duties (SoD) to firewall change request process.

Firewall Recertification (FR)
Perform ad-hoc and quarterly review of rules and configuration to ensure proper governance and control.

Incident Response (IR)
Identify, respond and remediate suspicious or malicious cyber activity.

Policy and Governance (POL)
Build and maintain the City’s Information Security policy set which governs direction and minimum technical requirements

Network Security Monitoring (NSM)
Monitor and Respond to suspicious and malicious network based traffic.

Perimeter Security (PS)
Validate technical security controls through active testing (aka whitehat hacking).

Enterprise Risk Assessment and Reporting (RISK)
Regularly assess the City’s current risk posture against targeted risk posture. Provide real-time feedback on existing, mitigated and accepted risks.

Security Architecture Review (SAR)
Review RFPs and partner with Project and Technical teams to review proposed solutions to ensure alignment to Policies and Best Practices.

Security Awareness and Training (SAT)
Provide security specific awareness and education training to user and technical community.

Threat and Vulnerability Management (TVM)
Constant monitoring and communication of cyber threat landscape and evaluation of internal technical readiness.