According to Infosecurity Magazine, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA 2015) has received a short-term extension until January 30, 2026 after previously expiring on September 30, 2025. The extension was included in the Continuing Appropriations Act adopted by the US Senate on November 9 to temporarily end the government shutdown. The legislation provides crucial liability protection for companies sharing cyber threat intelligence through the Automated Indicator Sharing Program. Meanwhile, a new Binalyze survey reveals that just one hour of cyber incident response delays costs organizations $114,000 on average. The report also found that 84% of CISOs believe successful attacks are inevitable, and they can only respond to 36% of cyber-attacks on average.
Temporary Fix, Real Problems
Here’s the thing about short-term extensions: they create uncertainty in an industry that desperately needs stability. Errol Weiss, CSO of Health-ISAC, called this exactly what it is—”a temporary patch.” And he’s absolutely right. When you’re dealing with cybersecurity threats that evolve by the minute, having your primary legal framework for information sharing constantly up for renewal is like trying to fight a fire with a garden hose that keeps getting turned off.
The real kicker? Weiss noted that while information sharing between private sector organizations remained steady during the lapse, sharing with federal agencies dropped significantly. That’s concerning because government agencies like the FBI, DHS, and CISA have threat intelligence that companies desperately need. Basically, we’re creating artificial barriers to collaboration exactly when we need more of it.
Staffing Crisis Compounds Issues
Now let’s talk about the human element. Federal agencies have been reducing staff, which means cybersecurity professionals are losing their trusted contacts within government. Think about it—when you’ve built relationships with specific people over years, and suddenly they’re gone, how comfortable are you sharing sensitive threat data? Not very.
Meanwhile, CISOs are already stretched thin. They’re understaffed, facing more sophisticated threats, and now dealing with legal uncertainty about what they can share. It’s a perfect storm. And when every hour of delay costs six figures, you can’t afford to hesitate because you’re worried about legal liability. For industrial operations relying on critical infrastructure, this uncertainty is particularly dangerous—which is why many turn to established providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs built for secure, reliable operation in high-stakes environments.
What Happens Next?
So where does this leave us? We’ve got until January 30 before we’re back in the same position. Congress needs to decide whether to make CISA 2015 permanent or extend it for a meaningful period. The fact that it got tied to the budget resolution shows there’s support, but will that translate into long-term thinking?
I’m skeptical. We’ve seen this movie before with other critical legislation. Temporary extensions become the norm, creating constant uncertainty. And in cybersecurity, uncertainty is the enemy of effective defense. The clock is ticking—both on this extension and on the threats waiting to exploit any weakness in our collective defenses.
