CISA tells critical organizations to prepare for cyber outages

Key Points:

• The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has launched the CI Fortify initiative, urging critical infrastructure sectors like water utilities and transportation to prepare for cyber attacks that could disrupt internet and telecommunications during geopolitical crises.
• CI Fortify emphasizes two emergency planning objectives: "isolation," which involves proactively disconnecting from third-party networks to protect operational technology, and "recovery," which includes system documentation, backups, and manual operation transition plans.
• CISA plans to conduct targeted assessments of critical infrastructure preparedness, prioritizing defense-related systems such as dams, weapon systems, and satellite communications, with regional offices playing a key role in oversight.
• The initiative follows staffing challenges at CISA due to a prolonged government shutdown and prior budget cuts, but recent approval for 329 mission-critical hires signals renewed support from Homeland Security leadership.
• Experts highlight CISA’s shift toward resilience-focused cybersecurity, advocating for layered controls and containment strategies that maintain critical operations during attacks rather than relying solely on prevention and post-incident recovery.