SHIELDS UP: CISA Guidance for Cybersecurity

As the world sends its support to the people of Ukraine in this time of unrest and uncertainty, the evolving conditions in the region raise the alert for the entire IT community as well. Amplifying the increased cyberthreat activity of the past several years is the very real possibility of conflict-related disruptions to the critical infrastructure on which we all rely. At SolarWinds, we are keenly aware of not only the potential for cyberattacks from outside nation-states like the one we suffered, but the need for vigilance to help ensure the security and continuity of our IT environments, and thereby the customers and constituents we all serve. It helps underpin our Secure by Design principles and initiatives and is why we believe security is everyone’s responsibility. In this spirit of community vigilance, I recommend the Shields Up guidance and resources provided by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), available on their website at https://www.cisa.gov/shields-up. In addition to helping organizations and leaders to focus on more likely risks in an ocean of possible risks, Shields Up also provides technical guidance to network defenders. The Shields Up site provides a comprehensive set of recommendations of cybersecurity best practices and tools for organizations of all sizes, and is designed to help you:

• Reduce the likelihood of a damaging cyber intrusion 
• Take steps to quickly detect a potential intrusion 
• Ensure your organization is prepared to respond if an intrusion occurs 
• Maximize your organization’s resilience to a destructive cyber incident

It also provides a library of additional resources and guidance for corporate and organizational leaders and executives, including CEOs.