CISA Announces CI Fortify Initiative to Keep Critical Infrastructure Services Running During Nation‑State Cyber Attacks
What Happened — The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) launched the “CI Fortify” program, delivering new guidance and operational support that pushes critical‑infrastructure owners to (1) isolate operational‑technology (OT) networks from business and third‑party networks at a moment’s notice, and (2) validate pre‑tested backup and recovery processes so services can continue when systems are compromised.
Why It Matters for TPRM —
- Isolation requirements expose gaps in vendor‑managed cloud and telecom dependencies that third‑party risk teams must inventory.
- Mandatory recovery testing forces organizations to verify that their suppliers can sustain offline operations, a key resilience metric.
- The initiative signals heightened nation‑state targeting of OT environments, raising the risk profile of any third‑party providing OT‑related services.
Who Is Affected — Energy & utilities, water & wastewater, telecommunications, and other sectors classified as critical infrastructure that rely on OT systems.
Recommended Actions — Review your vendor inventory for OT‑related services, validate that isolation can be performed quickly, and ensure backup/recovery procedures are regularly tested and documented.
Technical Notes — The guidance does not reference a specific vulnerability or CVE; it focuses on resilience controls: network segmentation, third‑party dependency severance, offline backups, and manual operation playbooks. Source: DataBreachToday