In 2015 and 2016, the ATPC executed a comprehensive engagement strategy that included a series of meetings to better understand the structure, threats and responses associated with cyber-attacks on the payments industry. Meetings included leaders from the U.S. Senate Homeland Security staffers and their peers in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA). It became clear that a major cyber-attack on Transaction Alley required increased public and private sector collaboration, and new tools to get the industry back online (disaster recovery), along with improved detection and prevention protocols to minimize risk.

These meetings culminated in the launch of the ATPC Cyber Forum Brand in May 2017. The event, hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, brought together key state and federal leaders along with key industry players to discuss the Transaction Alley “ecosystem,” and current cyber planning and response capabilities. United States Senators Isakson and Perdue endorsed this new Cyber-Forum mission with a call-to-action for participants to continue the meetings, and develop working groups to drive better understanding, awareness, relationships that result in improved preparedness.