Page 204 - Cyber Defense eMagazine RSAC Special Edition 2025

Modernizing Critical Infrastructure Security

to Meet Today’s Threats

By John Kindervag, Chief Evangelist and Creator of Zero Trust, Illumio

Ransomware attacks are no longer just a cybersecurity concern – they are a direct threat to national
security. A recent study found that among organizations hit by ransomware in the past 12 months, an
average of 25 percent of critical systems were affected, with downtime lasting an average of 12 hours.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Multi-
State Information Sharing and Analysis Center have sounded this alarm and recently issued a joint
cybersecurity advisory, warning that ransomware groups are exploiting vulnerabilities in aging systems,
including in the critical infrastructure sector.

Such attacks don’t just threaten individual agencies – they pose a serious national security risk by
targeting essential services used by everyday citizens, including energy grids, healthcare systems, water
treatment facilities, and transportation networks.

As Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery (Ret.) a retired navy admiral recently said, “the state and local
cybersecurity officials are the front line – they ought to be treated like the front line. [...] Cybersecurity
soldiers are on the front line defending our water power utilities, our state and local databases, judicial
information.” This means acknowledging the potential for cyber warfare and putting a proactive and
modern security strategy in place that effectively defends critical infrastructure.

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