November marks Infrastructure Security Month (ISM). The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) annual awareness campaign is intended to highlight the vital role critical infrastructure plays in the nation’s safety, security, and prosperity and why it is important to strengthen critical infrastructure security and resilience. This year’s theme is “Critical Infrastructure and Resilience: Build it in.” This theme is a reminder for infrastructure operators that they should always be reevaluating their “infrastructure security and resilience from design concept all the way through development and implementation.” In addition, CISA has provided an accompanying Infrastructure Security Toolkit report that provides further details on ISM, highlights ways to get involved, and offers resources for infrastructure operators to increase their security and resilience. Some resources include the Insider Threat Mitigation Guide, Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) resources, Active Shooter Preparedness webpage, and more.
The Whitehouse also released a proclamation on ISM, highlighting the importance of this campaign and noting the actions the Biden administration is implementing to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. According to the proclamation, “the threats against our critical infrastructure are increasingly complex and nuanced, and we all must be prepared to better protect ourselves from malicious actors threatening our cyber and physical security… [thus] we reaffirm our commitment to protecting our infrastructure today and securing it for tomorrow.” Access CISA’s webpage here or access the White House's Proclamation here.