Key National Cybersecurity Priorities

🚨ICYMI: Real world example of efforts by PRC cyber actors to penetrate our energy infrastructure to be prepared to launch disruptive attacks: https://lnkd.in/eEcKnQ7A. As I’ve said repeatedly, what has been found to date is likely just the tip of the iceberg. China’s cyber program presents the most serious & immediate threat to US national security. The PRC’s OBJECTIVE IS UNAMBIGUOUS: They are preparing for war by holding at risk America’s critical infrastructure. Their goals are to prevent the US from defending our allies by deterring our ability to project power into the Pacific & to weaken America’s resolve by inciting societal chaos through disruptive attacks against the critical services Americans rely on every day—transportation, telecommunications, power, water & more. SO—WHAT CAN WE DO? 1️⃣First, Congress should continue INVESTING IN & CENTRALIZING CYBER DEFENSE CAPABILITIES in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. CISA’s collaboration with industry partners was critical in detecting & evicting PRC cyber actors from US networks. To sustain this partnership, Congress should reauthorize the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015. 2️⃣Second, the current fragmented cyber regulatory landscape makes us LESS SAFE. It breeds compliance box-checking, NOT risk reduction. Congress should establish one harmonized cybersecurity regulatory framework under the Office of the National Cyber Director, The White House. 3️⃣Third, corporate leadership must TREAT CYBER RISK AS BUSINESS RISK, ASSUME DISRUPTION & focus on RESILIENCE. CEO’s & boards should empower their CISO’s, invest in cyber hygiene, conduct rigorous continuity testing, & exercise crisis scenarios. If businesses are not already preparing for potential disruption, they are behind.🛡️SHIELDS UP! 4️⃣Fourth, we must all DEMAND MORE FROM TECH VENDORS. PRC hackers are largely not deploying cutting-edge exploits—they’re leveraging known defects in widely used products. Tech companies must build & deliver products that are SECURE-BY-DESIGN; tech consumers—all of us—must loudly demand it. Congress should establish a software liability regime to incentivize both. AI should be leveraged to drive a secure coding revolution—>TRANSLATE ALL C/C++ to RUST! 5️⃣Bringing me to the final point: The US MUST WIN THE RACE FOR AI. The US must achieve AI supremacy & effectively secure our most high-end cutting edge capabilities to prevent our adversaries—criminals, terrorists, rogue nations, the PRC—from weaponizing them. In sum, the threat is urgent but not insurmountable—IF WE ACT NOW. Our strategy must combine deterrence by denial & resilience with deterrence by punishment & escalation, and make it crystal clear that we have the LETHALITY, CAPABILITY & RESOLVE to aggressively defend our critical infrastructure, hold our adversaries’ critical infrastructure at risk, & if necessary, impose costs on them.

𝗡𝗖𝗦𝗖 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 The National Cyber Security Centre have released its Annual Review, and the message is clear: cyber risk is now a boardroom priority, not just an IT issue. This year’s review reveals a 50% increase in highly significant cyber incidents, with attacks disrupting everything from supply chains to public services. The cost of inaction is rising - financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory scrutiny are now the norm after a breach. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: • Cyber attacks are impacting every sector, from SMEs to critical national infrastructure. • Ransomware remains a top threat, with attackers targeting operational downtime and sensitive data. • Leadership matters: cyber resilience must be driven from the top and embedded into strategy, culture, and operational planning. • The NCSC is urging all organisations to act now, don’t wait for the breach. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀: • Make cyber risk a standing board agenda item. • Invest in foundational controls like Cyber Essentials. • Use free NCSC resources such as the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) and Early Warning services. • Build a positive cyber security culture - prevention is always better than cure. As the NCSC says: “It’s time to act. Don’t wait for the breach.”

🚀 Strengthening Cybersecurity with Zero Trust: Key Highlight from the FY26 Federal Cybersecurity Priorities 🚀 The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) have released their FY26 Cybersecurity Priorities, focusing on enhancing the Nation's cybersecurity posture through strategic investments and initiatives. Here's a deep dive into the crucial aspects of their Zero Trust strategy: 🔹Modernizing Federal Defenses: The U.S. Government is transitioning towards fully mature Zero Trust architectures. This involves prioritizing technology modernization, implementing encryption and multifactor authentication, and leveraging government-managed cybersecurity shared services. 🔹Increasing Maturity of Information Systems: Agencies are required to submit updated Zero Trust implementation plans within 120 days, documenting current and target maturity levels in each pillar for all high-value assets and high-impact systems. These plans will be reviewed by OMB, ONCD, and CISA. 🔹Reducing Risk and Enhancing Security: Budget submissions must demonstrate how agencies are reducing risks by increasing the maturity of information systems based on the pillars outlined in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Zero Trust Maturity Model. Quotes from the Memo: 🔹"Agency investments should lead to demonstrable improvements reflected by agency FISMA reporting or similar metrics." "🔹Agencies with federated networks should prioritize investments in department-wide, enterprise solutions to the greatest extent practicable in order to further align cybersecurity efforts, ensure consistency across mission areas, and enable information sharing." 🔹"Within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, agencies must submit an updated zero trust implementation plan to OMB and ONCD." By aligning with CISA's Zero Trust Maturity Model and leveraging these strategic priorities, federal agencies can significantly enhance their cybersecurity posture, ensuring robust defense mechanisms and resilience against evolving threats. #Cybersecurity #ZeroTrust #Technology #CISA #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

The recent news about DBKL systems allegedly being hacked with a ransom demand of RM236 million is deeply alarming. As someone who’s been in the IT and business development space, this incident is a wake-up call for all government agencies, GLCs, and even private corporations in Malaysia. Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT department's responsibility. It is an organisation-wide priority. This kind of attack doesn’t just risk sensitive data. It shakes public trust, disrupts services, and drains financial resources that could have been used for development. So how do we prevent this? ❗️1. Basic Cyber Hygiene Must Be Enforced Strong passwords, multi-factor authentication (MFA), timely system updates, and regular patching are not optional anymore. Many breaches happen simply due to outdated software or poor access control. ❗️2. Educate Everyone From top management to front liners, everyone needs cybersecurity awareness training. Social engineering, phishing, and impersonation attacks are getting smarter. A single unaware staff can become the weakest link. ❗️3. Conduct Regular Penetration Tests and Audits We need to stop treating cybersecurity audits as a compliance checklist. Continuous monitoring, external penetration tests, and simulated phishing campaigns must be conducted regularly. ❗️4. Invest in Threat Detection and Response By the time hackers ask for ransom, it is already too late. Organisations need to implement real-time threat detection, SIEM systems, and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to spot and neutralise threats early. ❗️5. Backup. Backup. Backup. Critical systems and data must be backed up securely and regularly, both online and offline. In the event of an attack, recovery should be possible without paying a ransom. ❗️6. Appoint a CISO and Form an Incident Response Team (Male for corporate smartness, Female for detailed work) Leadership matters. Cyber resilience must be driven from the top. An empowered Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and a dedicated Cybersecurity Incident Response Team (CSIRT) should be standard in every major organisation. This DBKL case is not just about one agency. It is a national issue. We must stop being reactive and start building cybersecurity into the DNA of how we operate. #CyberSecurity #Malaysia #DBKL #DigitalResilience #ITGovernance #CyberAwareness #PublicSector #Infosec #Ransomware #CISO #PenTest #IncidentResponse #MFA #MalaysianGovTech #BusinessContinuity #CyberSecurityMalaysia

Earlier this week, major news on AI and cybersecurity came out of the White House.   The release of the AI Action Plan signals a broader shift in how we think about national resilience in a connected world.   Critical infrastructure - energy, water, healthcare, transportation - is now digital. That opens the door to better performance, smarter systems, and unfortunately, more risk.   Cybersecurity is no longer solely an IT issue. It’s a leadership issue. It’s a boardroom issue. It's a national resilience issue. And for infrastructure operators, it’s an operational issue that sits at the core of safety and continuity.   Recent breaches have shown that systems built decades ago are now exposed to threats that move at machine speed. AI will accelerate both the problem and the solution. The difference will come down to how quickly leaders act.   We need visibility, speed, and coordination across government and industry. And we need to treat this with the same seriousness we bring to physical threats.   The technology is here. The wake-up calls have already come. Now it’s about execution.   #NationalSecurity #CyberLeadership #CriticalInfrastructure #AI #CyberResilience #PublicPrivatePartnerships  

America’s Next National Security Crisis May Be Cybersecurity Capacity U.S. defense planners are increasingly warning that the next major national-security bottleneck may not involve weapons production or manufacturing capacity — but cybersecurity itself. The article compares today’s challenge to the famous World War II Allied bombing campaign against Germany’s ball-bearing industry. Military strategists understood that disrupting a seemingly ordinary industrial component could cripple an entire war machine. Today, the equivalent choke point may be the cybersecurity operational capacity protecting the Defense Industrial Base. For years, foreign adversaries have targeted U.S. defense contractors, telecommunications systems, and industrial infrastructure through cyber espionage campaigns designed to steal weapons designs, sensitive data, and intellectual property. The rise of AI-powered cyber tools is now accelerating the threat dramatically. Advanced AI systems can identify vulnerabilities, automate reconnaissance, and scale attacks far faster than traditional human-led operations. As digital attacks intensify, cybersecurity personnel, secure infrastructure, and defensive AI tools are becoming strategic resources themselves. Modern military systems are deeply software-dependent. Logistics networks, satellites, command systems, industrial controls, and weapons platforms increasingly rely on interconnected digital infrastructure vulnerable to cyber compromise. The article argues that America may face a future where the limiting factor is not the ability to build advanced systems, but the ability to adequately secure them. The issue also highlights how cybersecurity has evolved from an IT problem into a core national-security function tied directly to military readiness and industrial resilience. Key Takeaways suggest cyber defense capacity is becoming as strategically important as energy, semiconductors, or weapons production. The broader implication is that future geopolitical competition may increasingly depend on which nations can build resilient, AI-enhanced cybersecurity ecosystems capable of defending critical industrial and military infrastructure at machine speed. I share daily insights with tens of thousands followers across defense, tech, and policy. Keith King https://lnkd.in/gHPvUttw

State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) organizations are the first line of defense for much of the nation’s critical infrastructure—yet they are underfunded, understaffed, and increasingly under attack from cybercriminals, nation-states, and misinformation campaigns. The latest MS-ISAC SLTT Security Report underscores a harsh reality: Cyber Threats Are Escalating – Ransomware, insider threats, and supply chain attacks are growing in complexity. Physical Security Risks Are Rising – Increased threats to schools, election offices, and public utilities demand stronger resilience. Foreign Influence Operations Are Targeting Trust – AI-driven misinformation is eroding confidence in institutions. So, where do we go from here? Whole-of-State Security Models – Centralized threat intelligence and shared security services help smaller jurisdictions stay protected. Consistent, Predictable Funding – One-off grants won’t cut it. We need long-term investment in cybersecurity programs. Workforce Development – The cybersecurity skills gap remains a massive hurdle; strategic recruitment and upskilling are critical. Public and private sector partnerships will dictate success in defending critical infrastructure. The bottom line? SLTT cybersecurity is national security—and we must act with more urgency. See the full report at: https://lnkd.in/eWh9qFGA

Cybersecurity has pivoted from IT concern to national security issue. When nation-state actors probe supply chains, compromise critical infrastructure, or target emerging tech like AI, the distinction between “business risk” and “sovereign risk” blurs. More than ever, building resilience means aligning government and industry - not just on process, but on trust, ground truth sharing, and harmonized responses. Private-sector operators own much of the infrastructure we rely on, while government sets the guardrails. When cooperation works well, defenders hold the advantage; when dialogue stalls, adversaries exploit the gap. At its core, the mission is strategic: ensure that regulation enables innovation, information-sharing works effectively, workforce development keeps pace, and emerging tech (AI, satellites, IoT) enters the ecosystem with defense built in rather than added on later. #CyberStrategy #PublicPrivatePartnership #NationalSecurity

When geopolitical tensions rise, cyber activity often follows. This is not a moment for alarmism. It is a moment for preparedness. Cyber operations are now a standard component of geopolitical conflict. Critical infrastructure and global supply chains are particularly attractive targets because disruption in these systems creates ripple effects across entire economies. There are a few practical steps organizations should prioritize right now: -Patch and harden internet-facing systems, particularly remote access tools, VPNs, and firewalls. -Require multi-factor authentication for privileged and remote access accounts. -Segment IT and operational technology environments to prevent lateral movement. -Rehearse incident response and full system restoration so leadership understands roles and decision rights before a crisis occurs. One of the consistent lessons we see through the work at the Cyber Readiness Institute is that resilience often comes down to fundamentals executed well. Strong authentication, tested backups, clear response processes, and disciplined network architecture make an enormous difference when an incident occurs. Cyber risk in supply chains is shared risk. Preparedness across the ecosystem is what ultimately determines resilience. Now is a good moment for organizations to ensure those fundamentals are in place. #CyberSecurity #CriticalInfrastructure #SupplyChain #CyberResilience #OperationalTechnology #CRI #DSCI

I had the opportunity today to join Meridian International Center for another conversation with National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross — and one theme came through clearly: cybersecurity is no longer just a government problem. It’s a whole-of-nation effort. There’s real optimism in the shift we’re seeing — stronger coordination with the private sector, and a recognition that while cybercrime remains a low-risk, high-reward endeavor, policymakers can change that calculus. The U.S. has more than just cyber tools at its disposal — economic, diplomatic, and strategic levers are increasingly part of the playbook to impose costs and deny adversaries the benefits they’ve long enjoyed. At the same time, defense alone isn’t enough. As AI scales — on both offense and defense — and as our systems grow more interconnected, the challenge becomes clear: we have to be right every time; adversaries only need to be right once. That reality demands a more proactive, strategic posture. Encouragingly, efforts are underway to: • Build security into AI from the start • Strengthen allied cyber capacity and promote trusted technology ecosystems • Treat data centers as critical infrastructure and address resilience at scale • Move toward smarter, more streamlined regulatory frameworks But perhaps most importantly, the call to action was directed at industry: engage. Public-private partnership is not just a talking point — it’s essential. Faster, more actionable information sharing, aligned incentives, and a willingness to collaborate will define how effectively we defend our citizens, our economy, and our way of life. The U.S. is in a strong position — but the next phase of cybersecurity will be defined by how well we work together.