
Password Cyberattack: Everything You Need to Know
Cybersecurity leaders consistently rank passwords among the top concerns, recognizing them as critical gateways to sensitive data but also as prime targets for malicious entities.
NIST is a leader in the critical infrastructure protection field. NIST has been at the forefront of critical infrastructure protection since the 1990s and has been working on it since before that—in response to an executive order issued by President Reagan in 1986, directing federal agencies to assess their own security needs and capabilities. The result was FEMP (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and other organizations such as NIST.
Since then, they’ve made huge strides: from helping establish standards for protecting information systems from cyber-attacks to providing technical assistance; to publishing best practices guides for both public- and private-sector organizations; to developing products that support cybersecurity research efforts over the world.
But the work doesn’t stop there! They’re hard at work developing solutions for emerging problems like autonomous vehicles or artificial intelligence—and we’ll be ready when those challenges come knocking on our door, too (or if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where these issues aren’t an issue yet).
This article explains the basics of Critical Infrastructure Protection.
The NIST Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Security is a voluntary, risk-based approach to critical infrastructure protection. It describes a comprehensive and collaborative strategy that can help organizations with existing projects or programs to more effectively manage risk and improve the security of their cyber-physical systems (CPS). This framework defines the functions necessary for managing risk at all levels within an organization’s CPS—from hardware and software to processes and people—and offers five functional areas to address in any risk management effort.
The framework also provides a reference model for security professionals who want to improve their capabilities or train others on how best to implement its concepts into practice.
NIST is working on a project to help the energy sector address security and resilience. The Energy Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Framework (ESCRMF) will guide organizations that manage critical infrastructures, such as oil refineries, pipelines and power plants. The framework helps them decide how best to protect themselves against cyber threats while also safeguarding their day-to-day operations.
In the United States, transportation is a vital part of the national economy, supporting $1.8 trillion to $3 trillion in annual economic activity. It’s also critical to maintaining the health and vitality of the communities; transportation connects us to jobs, goods and services. For example, Transportation networks provide access for millions of people who need it every day—from workers commuting from home to work each morning or visiting family members over the weekend; to students travelling from their dorms at night after class; from parents picking up their kids at daycare centers after work or leaving them there before heading offsite on business trips. Transportation networks are essential for individuals who rely on public transit like buses or trains and individuals who require special accommodations such as wheelchair accessible vans that allow them more freedom than regular taxis would allow them otherwise!
When these networks fail unexpectedly due to natural disasters such as hurricanes/tornadoes/flooding etc., or man-made failures like bridge collapses caused by high winds during severe weather events, then lives are lost because they cannot reach medical care quickly enough (if ever) –or perish in fires caused by damaged power lines within homes that have lost electricity due to downed trees blocking power poles outside their doors!
The financial services sector is a critical infrastructure sector. It’s significant to understand that the same security and resilience considerations that apply to other critical industries, such as energy or transportation, also apply here. However, financial services organizations have some additional concerns because of the sensitive nature of their data and systems.
The Nuclear Sector Cybersecurity Framework’s (NRCSF) three phases include:
The healthcare and public health sector is a significant focus of NIST’s efforts to develop a framework to address security and resilience. Specifically, in developing a framework to provide best practices that are evidence-based; support risk management decisions through prescriptive guidance for specific use cases; support continuous improvement by providing a mechanism for ongoing assessment of an organization’s security posture against an ever-changing threat landscape.
NIST is working with the sector to:
In addition to providing standards and guidelines for securing the defence industrial base sector, NIST works with industry and government partners to develop tools and best practices for cybersecurity professionals. The following are just a few examples of how NIST helps the defence industrial base sector protect against cyber-attacks:
We know that these threats sound very intimidating, but they don’t have to be. Your business can protect with the proper security measures and an updated cybersecurity plan.
Industrial Cybersecurity
September 28, 2023
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Cybersecurity leaders consistently rank passwords among the top concerns, recognizing them as critical gateways to sensitive data but also as prime targets for malicious entities.
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Want always be up to date?
By subscribing to our mailing list, you will be enrolled to receive our new trainings, latest blog posts, product news, and more.
Transform your cybersecurity skills with CIP Cyber’s comprehensive training & course offerings