Government CISA: Critical Infrastructure Must Master Isolation, Recovery The agency has issued guidance to help critical infrastructure operators prepare for cyberattacks by foreign threat actors. By Eduard Kovacs | May 6, 2026 (6:15 AM ET) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Whatsapp Email The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued new guidance warning that US critical infrastructure operators face relentless intrusion attempts from nation-state actors whose ambitions go well beyond espionage. CISA has reiterated that adversaries have already embedded themselves inside critical systems and telecommunications networks , positioning themselves to cripple the operational technology (OT) that keeps American society running should a wider geopolitical conflict erupt. In response, the agency launched CI Fortify , an initiative designed to ensure that essential service providers such as public health, national defense, and economic systems can continue operating even during an active cyberattack. The program is built on the assumption that in a conflict scenario, internet access, vendors, and third-party service providers may all become unreliable, while hostile actors retain a foothold within OT networks. At the heart of CI Fortify are two capabilities that operators are urged to begin developing immediately. The first, isolation, involves deliberately severing connections to outside networks and business systems to prevent an attack from spreading to OT. The goal is to avoid a complete shutdown and establish an operating mode capable of sustaining delivery of essential services for weeks or even months in isolation. The second capability, recovery, focuses on what happens when isolation alone is not enough. Operators are advised to thoroughly document their systems, maintain up-to-date backups, and regularly rehearse restoring compromised components or switching to manual operations. CISA Acting Director Nick Andersen called on operators to review the guidance, put its recommendations into practice, and work directly with the agency to harden defenses. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. “The emphasis on isolation and recovery is important for maintaining continuity during disruption, particularly as critical infrastructure is increasingly in the crosshairs of geopolitical tension and AI accelerates how quickly vulnerabilities can be exploited,” said Duncan Greatwood, CEO of Xage Security. “However, if organizations don’t have control within the environment, then isolation on its own is not enough. Threats will often move through trusted connections, third parties, or compromised credentials long before a crisis response begins. The focus on segmentation and maintaining operations even in a degraded state is a meaningful step forward and more aligned with how these environments actually function,” Greatwood added. Related : EnOcean SmartServer Flaws Expose Buildings to Remote Hacking Related : Hundreds of Internet-Facing VNC Servers Expose ICS/OT Related : Serial-to-IP Converter Flaws Expose OT and Healthcare Systems to Hacking Written By Eduard Kovacs Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is senior managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher before starting a career in journalism in 2011. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering. More from Eduard Kovacs WhatsApp Discloses File Spoofing, Arbitrary URL Scheme Vulnerabilities Trellix Source Code Repository Breached Cybersecurity M&A Roundup: 33 Deals Announced in April 2026 OpenAI Rolls Out Advanced Security for ChatGPT Accounts Google Adjusts Bug Bounties: Chrome Payouts Drop as Android Rewards Rise Amid AI Surge Two US Security Experts Sentenced to Prison for Helping Ransomware Gang Cisco Releases Open Source Tool for AI Model Provenance FBI Warns of Surge in Hacker-Enabled Cargo Theft Latest News Sophisticated Quasar Linux RAT Targets Software Developers Government, Scientific Entities Hit via Daemon Tools Supply Chain Attack Oracle Debuts Monthly Critical Security Patch Updates Palo Alto Networks to Patch Zero-Day Exploited to Hack Firewalls Microsoft Warns of Sophisticated Phishing Campaign Targeting US Organizations Hacker Conversations: Joey Melo on Hacking AI Critical Bug Could Expose 300,000 Ollama Deployments to Information Theft Critical Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Patched in Android Trending Daily Briefing Newsletter Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts. Webinar: ROSI for CPS Security Programs May 13, 2026 In cyber-physical systems (CPS), just one hour of downtime can outweigh an entire annual security budget. Learn how to master the Return on Security Investment (ROSI) to align security goals with the bottom-line priorities. Register Virtual Event: Threat Detection and Incident Response Summit May 20, 2026 Delve into big-picture strategies to reduce attack surfaces, improve patch management, conduct post-incident forensics, and tools and tricks needed in a modern organization. Register People on the Move Jacki Monson has joined CVS Health as SVP, Deputy CISO. Gigi Schumm has been promoted to Chief Revenue Officer at Securonix. Chris Sistrunk has been promoted to Practice Leader for Mandiant's OT Security Consulting. More People On The Move Expert Insights The Mythos Moment: Enterprises Must Fight Agents with Agents Only with the right platform and an agentic, AI-driven defense, will enterprises be able to protect themselves in the agentic era. (Etay Maor) Why Cybersecurity Must Rethink Defense in the Age of Autonomous Agents From autonomous code generation to decision-making systems that initiate actions without human intervention, the industry is entering a new phase. (Torsten George) Government Can’t Win the Cyber War Without the Private Sector Securing national resilience now depends on faster, deeper partnerships with the private sector. (Steve Durbin) The Hidden ROI of Visibility: Better Decisions, Better Behavior, Better Security Beyond monitoring and compliance, visibility acts as a powerful deterrent, shaping user behavior, improving collaboration, and enabling more accurate, data-driven security decisions. (Joshua Goldfarb) The New Rules of Engagement: Matching Agentic Attack Speed The cybersecurity response to AI-enabled nation-state threats cannot be incremental. It must be architectural. (Nadir Izrael) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Whatsapp Email