Preparing for and Mitigating Foreign Influence Operations Targeting Critical Infrastructure

News,

Recently, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a new CISA Insights titled, Preparing for and Mitigating Foreign Influence Operations Targeting Critical Infrastructure, which provides critical infrastructure owners and operators with guidance on how identify and mitigate the risks of influence operations using mis-, dis-, and malinformation (MDM) narratives from steering public opinion and impacting National Critical Functions and critical infrastructure. 

In light of developing Russia-Ukraine geopolitical tensions, the risk of foreign influence operations affecting domestic audiences has increased. This CISA Insights product is intended to ensure that critical infrastructure owners and operators are aware of the risks of influence operations leveraging social media and online platforms to spread MDM narratives. Organizations can take steps internally and externally to ensure to swift coordination in information sharing, as well as the ability to communicate accurate and trusted information to bolster resilience.  

CISA Insights are informed by U.S. intelligence and real-world events, with each Insight providing background information on cyber or physical threats to the nation’s critical infrastructure, as well as a ready-made set of mitigation activities that non-federal partners can implement. CISA encourages leaders at every organization to take proactive steps to assess their risks from information manipulation, increase resilience, and mitigate the impact of potential foreign influence operations.  To view this product, please visit:

CISA.gov/sites/default/files/publications/cisa_insight_mitigating_foreign_influence_508.pdf  

For additional MDM resources, visit: CISA.gov/mdm-resource-library