The White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) and South Carolina launched a six-month cybersecurity pilot on Oct. 26 to strengthen network defenses at rural hospitals and help them maintain critical healthcare services during cyberattacks.
The initiative, called Project Lifeline 250, will provide cybersecurity resources and support at no cost to participating hospitals through a partnership among federal, state, and private-sector organizations.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross announced the pilot, which will connect rural hospitals with American technology companies to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen cybersecurity protections, and improve their ability to respond to cyber incidents.
The program will focus on three areas: strengthening hospital network defenses, providing backup technology to help hospitals maintain operations following a cyberattack, and identifying high-risk medical and other technology devices used in critical care settings.
“Project Lifeline 250 is another important step toward ensuring South Carolina’s rural hospitals have the resources they need to defend against cyberattacks and continue providing critical care,” McMaster said in an Oct. 26 statement.
The effort brings together ONCD, the South Carolina Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (SC CIC) program, other federal agencies, local governments, and private-sector partners.
Industry participants include Cisco, Cyera, Microsoft, Trellix, and Zscaler.
McMaster established the SC CIC program in 2017 through an executive order to strengthen cybersecurity protections for the state’s critical infrastructure. The program improves coordination and preparedness across infrastructure sectors through government and industry partnerships.
Project Lifeline 250 builds on Project Watershed 250, a similar cybersecurity initiative focused on Texas’s water sector.
According to the governor’s office, the South Carolina pilot will evaluate cybersecurity solutions that could be scaled to protect critical infrastructure in communities nationwide.