Cargo Systems Messaging Service

CSMS # 61491841 - CBP Recommends Adding a “Cybersecurity Point of Contact” to Your ACE Portal Account

In recent years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seen a dramatic increase in cyberattacks on members of the Trade community causing significant costs and disruptions. CBP is actively working to prevent and mitigate these impacts, often connecting with trade partners to resolve disruptions caused by cyberattacks. Ensuring CBP has the correct contact information for a rapid response is critical. 

To this end, we are urging all Trade members to add a Technical Point of Contact (POC) designated for Cybersecurity to their ACE portal account for CBP to contact if a legitimate cybersecurity threat is identified. This benefits both your business and CBP by: 

• Reducing doubt about the legitimacy of both the cyberattack and the notification from a CBP official. 
• Providing CBP the correct person to contact for technical and cybersecurity related information. 
• Expediting collaborative efforts to intercept and/or mitigate the impacts of an identified threat. 

Note: If multiple account types exist for a company (e.g., broker, carrier, importer), add the Cybersecurity POC to the top account.

To add a Cybersecurity POC, ACE account users must begin by completing the steps required to add a general POC as described in the Modernized ACE Portal User Guide. 

Information on adding a POC to an ACE account is available beginning on page 42.  

• Select “Technical Point of Contact” in the “Type” drop down menu field.  
• Include “Cybersecurity” in parentheses after the contact’s last name. For example, for a cybersecurity POC named John Doe, the last name field would read “Doe (Cybersecurity)”.    

Additionally, organizations can review the Cyber Incident Guidance for Customs Brokers, and the Indicators of Compromise,  and Other Cyber Incident Reporting Guidance, on the Cybersecurity Resiliency webpage.

Please send questions regarding this message to: TMOD@cbp.dhs.gov.