What this book covers
Chapter 1, What is Critical Infrastructure?, details the 16 essential CI sectors identified by CISA, such as the chemical and electrical grid sectors, and explains their significance to U.S. national security and safety. It provides an overview of these sectors and examines the potential consequences of cyberattacks, aiming to educate readers on the importance of CI protection and the scenarios of cyber threats.
Chapter 2, The Growing Threat of Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure, examines the normalization of cyberattacks on CI, highlighting well-known and obscure cases from recent decades. It investigates the evolution, causes, and emerging trends of these attacks, alongside the intentions behind them, providing a historical context and an evaluation of the current global cybersecurity climate. The chapter aims to enhance the reader’s understanding of cybersecurity’s development in relation to CI and the landscape of threats from malicious actors on a global scale.
Chapter 3, Critical Infrastructure Vulnerabilities, delves into security vulnerability assessment methods, describing the life cycle of vulnerabilities and the processes for assessing and managing them. It offers insights into prevalent vulnerabilities and threats in critical infrastructure, such as those associated with industrial legacy systems. The chapter clarifies concepts of threats and vulnerabilities, and readers will learn the essentials of vulnerability assessment, how to discern between risk, vulnerability, and threat, becoming familiar with the most common threats and vulnerabilities that affect critical infrastructure today.
Chapter 4, The Most Common Attacks Against CI, offers an in-depth analysis of prevalent cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure globally. It explores the mechanisms, operations, and success strategies of various attacks such as DDoS, ransomware, supply chain attacks, phishing, unpatched vulnerability exploits, and advanced persistent threats. The chapter is designed to equip readers with detailed technical knowledge of different cyberattacks and an understanding of the attackers’ profiles and their objectives.
Chapter 5, Analysis of the Top Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure, presents real case studies of cyberattacks aimed at critical sectors. Building upon the foundational knowledge established in the preceding chapters, this chapter offers an in-depth look at the cyberattack landscape, enhancing the reader’s technical understanding of such incidents. The focus is on dissecting examples of attacks against national infrastructures and delving into the technical methods employed by attackers. Readers will refine their grasp of cyberattack strategies on CI and learn to apply theoretical insights to real-world scenarios.
Chapter 6, Protecting Critical Infrastructure – Part 1, ventures into the strategies and solutions crucial for safeguarding our essential services from cyber threats. After exposing the potent impact of notable cyber incidents in the previous chapters, this segment turns to proactive defenses. It outlines a range of protective measures, from technical to organizational, vital for reinforcing our critical infrastructure’s cybersecurity. The chapter’s focus includes network security, continuous monitoring, and the implementation of robust security policies and frameworks.
Chapter 7, Protecting Critical Infrastructure – Part 2, advances the discussion from foundational cybersecurity measures to an in-depth analysis of systems security and endpoint protection. It provides a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding the intricate components of critical infrastructure against advanced cyber threats. The chapter emphasizes robust endpoint security strategies, including the deployment of antivirus and antimalware solutions, and endpoint detection and response systems. It also tackles application security, integrating these security facets into a wider cybersecurity strategy for robust digital protection. This chapter stresses the importance of a layered defense approach in securing critical digital assets amidst the complexity of modern cyber threats.
Chapter 8, Protecting Critical Infrastructure – Part 3, moves beyond proactive measures into the realms of incident response, the cultivation of security culture and awareness, and the role of executive orders in fortifying our critical infrastructure. This part of the series equips the reader with strategies for swift and effective action against security breaches, ensuring infrastructure resilience. Emphasizing the human element, it delves into how fostering a vigilant security-aware culture within organizations contributes to national defense. Additionally, the chapter examines the significant impact of governmental directives on security practices, exploring the intricacies of implementing such orders. This chapter stitches together the practical, cultural, and regulatory facets that are pivotal for the security and readiness of our critical infrastructure.
Chapter 9, The Future of CI, explores the existing shortcomings and the progression in cybersecurity as it pertains to critical infrastructure. It also projects forward to examine the challenges and risks presented by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, especially to outdated systems. This chapter contemplates the cybersecurity trajectory and anticipates the resilience needed for critical infrastructures to withstand future threats.