White House Declares November Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month

President Biden issued a proclamation declaring November as Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month. The President highlighted ways in which the Administration has taken action to protect critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats and underscored the importance of security awareness and action to maintain critical infrastructure resilience.

“When our critical infrastructure shows signs of wear, everyday Americans pay the price,” the announcement stated.  

“When powerful storms and forest fires — made more frequent and ferocious by climate change — shut down energy grids, families can lose power for weeks. When unsecure networks are hacked, critical services can go offline, and businesses can suffer huge losses.”

Biden stressed the importance of countering malicious cyber activity and “establishing clear international rules of the road as they relate to cyberspace.”

A subsequent announcement by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) further emphasized the message that “infrastructure security is national security.”

“A power outage during a storm or limited access to healthcare facilities after a ransomware attack are real life reminders of the role critical infrastructure plays in daily lives,” CISA stated.

Throughout November and beyond, CISA encouraged all organizations to strengthen their security plans, focus on building resilience on cyber and physical fronts, and integrate resilience into critical infrastructure design.

“Throughout the month, CISA will be working to put a face on the work being done to secure our nation’s critical infrastructure,” CISA added, encouraging organizations to follow the agency’s social media pages for the latest information.

“Join us and take action to ensure our critical infrastructure is safe, secure, and resilient.”