The warning
āMost of Americaās critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and critical infrastructure owners and operators must accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors,ā he noted, and advised those that have not yet done it to harden their cyber defenses by implementingĀ security best practicesĀ delineated earlier this year.
ā[This warning is] based on evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks,ā heĀ added.
US Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger has followed up the warning with a press briefing, during which she stated that āthere is no certainty there will be a cyber incident on critical infrastructure,ā but that owners and operators of critical infrastructre have the ability and the responsibility to harden the systems and networks the country relies on.
SheĀ sharedĀ that last week, federal agencies hosted classified briefings with several hundred companies in sectors they felt would be most affected, and āprovided very practical, focused advice.ā
Previously, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) releasedĀ guidanceĀ to help critical infrastructure owners and operators identify and mitigate the risks of influence operations that use mis-, dis-, and malinformation (MDM) narratives.
Neuberger also said that US agencies have not yet attributed the recent attack on satellite communications companyĀ Viasat. Nevertheless, the attack has been followed by aĀ CISA alertĀ advising SATCOM network providers or customers on how to upgrade their defenses.
A trigger for important conversations
Critical Infrastructure Risk Assessment: The Definitive Threat Identification and Threat Reduction Handbook
