All About CISA

It is a common phrase that what you post on the internet is there forever, and this opens you up to a wide range of risks from your personal information being exposed to real risks regarding your psychical well-being. CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) “leads the Nation’s strategic and unified work to strengthen the security, resilience, and workforce of the cyber ecosystem to protect critical services and American way of life.” The Cybersecurity division of this agency is critical to the safety of the United States’ Cyber infrastructure. This division of CISA is led by the  Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, Eric Goldstein. “In this role, Goldstein leads CISA’s mission to protect and strengthen federal civilian agencies and the nation’s critical infrastructure against cyber threats.”

CISA states that “sophisticated cyber actors and nation-states exploit vulnerabilities to steal information and money and are developing capabilities to disrupt, destroy, or threaten the delivery of essential services.”

They also explain that Cyberspace is a particularly difficult resource to secure because of the following factors: “the ability of malicious actors to operate from anywhere in the world, the linkages between cyberspace and physical systems, and the difficulty of reducing vulnerabilities and consequences in complex cyber networks.”

In order to increase the security of critical networks, CISA uses these functions:

• Capability Delivery
• Threat Hunting
• Operational Collaboration
• Vulnerability Management
• Capacity Building
• Strategy, Resources & Performance
• Cyber Defense Education & Training

They describe their role as “the quarterback for the federal cybersecurity team, protecting and defending the home front—our federal civilian government networks—in close partnership with the Office of Management and Budget, which is responsible federal cyber security overall. CISA also coordinates the execution of our national cyber defense, leading asset response for significant cyber incidents and ensures that timely and actionable information is shared across federal and non-federal and private sector partners.”

Protecting Yourself

CISA also gives some ways you can improve your own cybersecurity:

1. Keep software up to date.
2. Run up-to-date antivirus software.
3. Use strong passwords
4. Change default usernames and passwords
5. Install a firewall.
6. Be suspicious of unexpected emails
7. Do business with reputable companies
8. Be careful what information you publicize