What is Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP)?

Critical infrastructure refers to the fundamental facilities and systems that serve as the backbone for a nation's economy, security, and health. These include, but are not limited to, sectors such as energy (including electrical grids and gas pipelines), water systems, nuclear resources, aviation, and food and agriculture systems. These infrastructures are essential for the functioning of a society and economy, and their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating impact on national security, economic security, public health, or safety.

Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity refers to the measures and practices aimed at protecting the essential systems and assets that are vital for the functioning of a society and economy. This includes industries such as agriculture, energy, food, and transportation, which rely heavily on systems like Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS). These infrastructures are critical because their disruption could have severe consequences, including cyber threats, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks.

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) involves securing these systems to ensure their continued operation and to protect them against potential threats. Common CIP solutions include SCADA for securing critical infrastructure and Operational Technology (OT) for overall infrastructure protection. Effective CIP strategies are essential to maintain the safety and functionality of critical sectors, ensuring that essential services like electricity, water, and transportation remain uninterrupted.

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) is crucial for several reasons:

1. Ensuring Access to Essential Services: Protecting critical infrastructure is vital for providing services such as drinking water, electricity, and food. Disruptions in these services can have immediate and severe impacts on public health and safety.

2. Protecting High-Value Industries: Industries such as chemicals, communications, emergency services, healthcare, information technology, and transportation are vital to the economy. A successful cyberattack on these sectors could lead to devastating consequences for organizations and pose significant threats to global economies and communities.

3. Mitigating Diverse Threats: Critical infrastructure is vulnerable to a wide range of threats, including cyberattacks, natural disasters, and equipment failures. Recognizing and mitigating these risks is essential to ensure the integrity and reliability of these systems.

4. Economic Security: The stability of national and global economies depends on the reliable operation of critical infrastructure. Disruptions can lead to significant economic losses and long-term impacts on economic stability.

5. Collaborative Efforts: Successfully protecting critical infrastructure requires strong partnerships between government agencies and commercial entities. These collaborations help implement and manage effective protection measures and ensure a comprehensive approach to security.

6. National Security: Many critical infrastructures are integral to national security. Protecting these assets from both physical and cyber threats is essential to maintain national defense and public safety.

7. Resilience Against Climate Change: With the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters due to climate change, it is more important than ever to protect critical infrastructure from extreme weather events to ensure continuity and resilience.

In the context of our increasingly interconnected world, critical infrastructure faces a range of cybersecurity threats:

Sophisticated Cyberattacks: Adversaries target critical infrastructure networks, including those of governments and third-party vendors, with advanced cyberattacks. These can disrupt essential services, extract sensitive intellectual property, and lay groundwork for future attacks.

Scope of Targets: Cybersecurity attacks on critical infrastructure can affect various sectors, from energy systems and nuclear resources to water systems, aviation, and agriculture.

Evolving Threat Landscape: Cyber threats are continually evolving, becoming more sophisticated, and spreading more rapidly, making it difficult for organizations to keep pace.

Manual Processes: Traditionally, the monitoring of cybersecurity threats and the evaluation of security controls have been manual processes. This approach often leads to a lack of visibility and delayed responses to emerging threats.

Need for Efficient Intelligence Gathering: To effectively counter these threats, governments and agencies require efficient methods for collecting and analyzing cyber threat intelligence. This intelligence is crucial for developing effective security strategies and policies.

Lack of Visibility: Many organizations responsible for protecting national security struggle with limited visibility into the cybersecurity posture of critical infrastructure, hindering their ability to make informed decisions.

1. The Energy Services Sector

The energy sector is crucial as it powers the entire U.S. economy. Cyber-attacks, like the 2015 hack into Ukraine's power grid using BlackEnergy 3 malware, demonstrate the vulnerabilities of energy grids. To prevent such attacks, industrial power grids in the U.S. are often isolated from the internet, relying on physical security to avoid disruptions. Enhancing utility cybersecurity is essential to protect against cyber threats and ensure the continuous operation of these critical systems.

2. The Dams Sector

This sector controls vital water resources, including hydroelectric power and water supply systems. The 2016 cyber-attack on the Rye Brook Dam in New York highlights the potential risks faced by this sector, underlining the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in protecting water control systems.

3. The Financial Services Sector

The financial sector is a prime target for cybercriminals, as evidenced by the massive Equifax breach affecting nearly half of the U.S. population. Protecting this sector is critical for maintaining economic stability and safeguarding personal financial information. Implementing robust financial services cybersecurity measures is essential to defend against such threats and ensure the security of financial data.

4. The Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector

This sector, encompassing nuclear power plants and medical isotope production, is a major target for cyberattacks. Breaches can lead to significant national security risks and public safety concerns, as seen in the breach of a U.S. nuclear facility’s business records.

5. The Food and Agriculture Sector

Almost entirely privately owned, this sector is crucial for the nation's food supply. The increasing use of connected devices introduces new vulnerabilities, as shown by the Farm Bureau survey indicating a lack of preparedness for cyber breaches.

6. The Water and Wastewater Systems Sector

Essential for public health, this sector faced a significant attack in 2016 when hackers took control of a U.S. water authority company’s cellular routers, causing substantial financial loss. The sector continues to be vulnerable to new types of cyberattacks.

7. The Healthcare and Public Health Sector

This sector, rich in sensitive data, is frequently targeted by hackers. The abundance of Personal Identifiable Information (PII) within healthcare organizations makes it a prime target, necessitating proactive healthcare cybersecurity measures.

8. The Emergency Services Sector

Comprising police, fire, and rescue services, this sector is increasingly falling victim to ransomware attacks, disrupting critical services on which citizens rely daily.

9. The Transportation Systems Sector

Responsible for moving people and goods nationally and internationally, this sector faces growing cyber threats, as seen in the malware attack on San Francisco’s light rail system. The rise of “smart” cities increases the vulnerability of this sector.

10. The Government Facilities Sector

This sector includes a wide range of government buildings and is often targeted by cybercriminals, as shown by the 2011 cyberattacks on Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNNL) and Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory.

Yes, NIS2 does apply to critical infrastructure. The NIS2 (Network and Information Systems Directive 2) builds on the requirements of the original NIS Directive, aiming to protect critical infrastructure and organizations within the EU from cyber threats. It mandates that EU member states implement specific cybersecurity strategies, establish competent authorities, and introduce incident reporting mechanisms. NIS2 has also expanded the range of service providers required to comply with its provisions, ensuring that all essential service providers, including those in critical infrastructure sectors such as healthcare, digital infrastructure, transport, water supply, and energy, are covered and protected from cyber threats.

Operational technology (OT) is deeply related to critical infrastructure. It encompasses the hardware and software systems used to control and monitor physical processes in various critical infrastructure sectors such as power plants, water treatment facilities, and transportation systems. These systems are essential for the safety and well-being of communities, as they ensure the smooth and secure operation of vital services and utilities.

Any disruption or compromise in these operational technology systems can lead to significant consequences, impacting the functionality of critical infrastructure and potentially causing widespread harm. Therefore, securing OT is a crucial aspect of maintaining the integrity, resilience, and reliability of critical infrastructure.

Here is a six-part strategy designed to enhance the security and resilience of operational technology against contemporary threat vectors.

1. Increase monitoring of integrated IT/OT areas and catalog all network assets.

2. Evaluate vulnerabilities and overall security status of OT.

3. Create a comprehensive security strategy for OT.

4. Regularly update and maintain OT systems.

5. Formulate and practice an incident response plan for OT.

6. Bridge the gap between IT and OT security practices.

Vulnerability Assessments and Risk Analysis

Effective defense of critical infrastructure starts with comprehensive vulnerability assessments and risk analysis. This involves:

Evaluating Network Systems and Assets: Conducting thorough assessments to identify potential security weaknesses that could be exploited by cyber threats.

Risk Analysis: Determining the impact and likelihood of vulnerabilities being exploited, enabling the development of strategic defense plans to mitigate significant risks.

Proactive Incident Response Planning

Developing a proactive incident response plan is vital for effective protection against cyber threats. Key elements of this plan include:

Incident Response Protocols: Outlining procedures for incident analysis, containment, eradication, and recovery.

Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly defining the responsibilities of team members in the event of a cyber incident.

Communication Protocols: Establishing effective communication strategies for incident management.

Network Segmentation and Access Control

Enhancing network security through segmentation and access control is critical for reducing cyber vulnerabilities. This involves:

Network Segmentation: Dividing networks into smaller sections to contain attacks and prevent lateral movements within the network.

Access Control Measures: Implementing robust controls to ensure only authorized individuals have access to critical infrastructure assets.

Employee Training and Awareness Programs

Implementing comprehensive employee training and awareness programs is essential to fortify the human element of cybersecurity. These programs should focus on:

Skill Development: Educating employees on identifying and mitigating cyber threats.

Awareness Building: Enhancing understanding of the importance of cybersecurity in protecting critical infrastructure.

Collaborative Efforts: Encouraging partnerships between private and public sectors to strengthen overall security posture.

Continuous Monitoring and Threat Intelligence

Continuous monitoring and staying abreast of the latest cyber threat intelligence are key to proactively defending critical infrastructure. This includes:

Vigilant Monitoring: Keeping a constant watch on systems to identify vulnerabilities and potential attacks quickly.

Threat Intelligence Gathering: Staying informed about evolving cyber threats to tailor security practices accordingly.

Collaboration with Authorities: Working closely with government agencies and regulatory bodies to ensure comprehensive protection.