As the United States Congress moves to end the latest government shutdown, a lesser-known but critical cybersecurity measure is quietly being revived—at least for now. The legislation to reopen the federal government reportedly includes a short-term reauthorization of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA 2015), extending it through January 30, 2026.
A vital cyber law gets a temporary reprieve
CISA 2015, which expired at the end of September, has long served as the backbone for cyber threat intelligence sharing between the public and private sectors. Its expiration left a gap in legal protections that enable companies and government agencies to exchange data about potential cyber threats without fear of liability.
The extension—tucked inside the broader continuing resolution to fund the government—represents a temporary victory for industry advocates who have been urging lawmakers to restore the law's protections. Without it, organizations face legal uncertainty regarding liability, antitrust exposure, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) risks associated with sharing cyber threat data.
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Experts warn against returning to a reactive model
According to Kevin E. Greene, Chief Cybersecurity Technologist, Public Sector, at BeyondTrust, the lapse was more than symbolic; it highlighted how outdated and reactive current information-sharing methods have become. "The lapse of CISA 2015 is significant given its critical role in enabling information sharing across the public and private sectors," Greene said. "However, the real issue is not the lapse itself, but the outdated and reactive nature of what is being shared."
Greene called for modernization of the information-sharing framework, emphasizing behavior-based analytics and identity-centric context to move beyond reliance on short-lived indicators of compromise (IoCs). "Identity is the new battleground for cyberattacks," he added. "Legislation must reflect that reality and emphasize prevention-first approaches that disrupt adversaries earlier in the ATT&CK lifecycle."
Impact on SMBs and the broader cyber ecosystem
Matthieu Chan Tsin, Senior Vice President of Resiliency Services at Cowbell, warned that small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) stand to lose the most if CISA 2015 lapses. "Without CISA 2015, there would be a multitude of negative consequences for SMBs," Chan Tsin said. "These organizations depend on cybersecurity vendors who, in turn, rely on government threat intelligence to keep their detection systems up to date. Dismantling this collaborative framework would be counterproductive when cooperation is more critical than ever."
Collaboration and legal protections at stake
Miguel Sian, SVP of Technology at Merlin Cyber, called the reauthorization "critical"” for continued public-private collaboration amid a surge in nation-state and criminal cyber activity. "With the growing speed, sophistication, and variety of threats, we must continue to tap into the innovations and ingenuity of our collective cyber defense," Sian said.
Randolph Barr, CISO at Cequence Security, underscored the broader strategic risk of losing liability protections, which could drive organizations back into information silos. "CISA gave us an instrument to close the gap, enabling defenders to collaborate in ways that were previously out of reach," Barr said. "Without it, information sharing would decrease dramatically, slowing detection and reducing the collective resilience we've built over the past decade."
The bigger picture: modernizing cyber policy for the AI era
As attackers increasingly utilize AI and exploit global supply chains, experts argue that reauthorizing CISA 2015 is more than just extending a law—it's about defending a digital ecosystem built on trust.
Crystal Morin, Senior Cybersecurity Strategist at Sysdig, warned that allowing the act to further lapse could have immediate operational consequences. "Without updated legislation, the strong cyber defense ecosystem it has built will collapse," Morin said. "Legal departments would likely counsel security teams to scale back or halt sharing altogether, leading to a noticeable reduction in newly reported IoCs."
She outlined three significant risks tied to the lapse—liability exposure, antitrust scrutiny, and FOIA risk—each of which could disincentivize companies from sharing intelligence critical to national security.
Louis Eichenbaum, Federal CTO at ColorTokens, added that letting the protections expire would erode visibility into fast-emerging threats. "Without reauthorization, we risk losing visibility into emerging threats and weakening interagency coordination, particularly in the wake of recent high-profile breaches," Eichenbaum said. "This would undermine years of progress and leave dangerous gaps in our ability to respond."
What comes next
While the proposed extension through January offers a temporary bridge, cybersecurity leaders are calling for a long-term modernization of the CISA framework—one that better reflects the realities of AI-driven attacks, identity-based threats, and cross-sector interdependence.
Until then, the cybersecurity community faces a familiar dilemma: how to keep information flowing safely in the absence of permanent legislative clarity.
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