CISA urges heightened infrastructure security

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) officials said infrastructure owners and operators are urged to be alert in accordance with November being designated National Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month.

Critical infrastructure (CI) plays an essential role in keeping our communities safe and secure. CISA officials noted that everyone is involved in protecting CI and help by using cybersecurity best practices, reporting cybersecurity incidents and phishing attempts, and submitting malware for review.

It is suggested infrastructure owners and operators download the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month Toolkit and visit the CISA’s Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month resource page throughout the month for information and updates.

During the month officials said CISA personnel would highlight interdependencies between cyber and physical infrastructure; direct small and medium-sized businesses to free tools and resources available to increase security and resilience through Hometown Security and the four steps of Connect, Plan, Train, and Report; promote public-private partnerships; foster innovation and investments in infrastructure resilience; and recommend methods of securing the nation’s election infrastructure.

Bolstering public-private partnerships targeting critical infrastructure protection is a national security and business imperative, officials said. Security initiatives are founded within information sharing, training, education, and partnerships as well as assessments, analysis, and regulatory compliance.