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Overview

As the nation’s cyber defense agency, CISA stands ready to help organizations prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impact of cyberattacks. When cyber incidents are reported quickly, we can use this information to render assistance and as warning to prevent other organizations and entities from falling victim to a similar attack. CISA continues to encourage our stakeholders to voluntarily share information about cyber-related events that could help mitigate current or emerging cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure.  

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could impact organizations both within and beyond the region, to include malicious cyber activity against the U.S. homeland, including as a response to the unprecedented economic costs imposed on Russia by the U.S. and our allies and partners. Every organization—large and small—must be prepared to respond to disruptive cyber incidents.

Ransomware Response

Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts files on device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption. Ransomware incidents have become increasingly prevalent among the Nation’s state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government entities and critical infrastructure organizations.

Paying ransom will not ensure your data is decrypted or that your systems or data will no longer be compromised. CISA, MS-ISAC, and other federal law enforcement do not recommend paying ransom. In addition, attackers have begun following their ransom demands to decrypt the data with a follow-on extortion demand to keep data private.

Related Resources

Cybersecurity Advisories

• Alert (AA22-011A) Understanding and Mitigating Russian State-Sponsored Cyber Threats to U.S. Critical Infrastructure
• Russia Cyber Threat Overview and Advisories (Webpage)

• CISA Insights: Implement Cybersecurity Measures Now to Protect Against Potential Critical Threats (pdf) 

• CISA Insights: Preparing for and Mitigating Foreign Influence Operations Targeting Critical Infrastructure (pdf) 

• Alert (AA22-057A) Destructive Malware Targeting Organizations in Ukraine

• Alert (AA22-110A) Russian State-Sponsored and Criminal Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure

• Alert (AA22-076A) Strengthening Cybersecurity of SATCOM Network Providers and Customers

• Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures of Indicted State-Sponsored Russian Cyber Actors Targeting the Energy Sector

• Alert (AA22-074A) Russian State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Gain Network Access by Exploiting Default Multifactor Authentication Protocols and ‘PrintNightmare’ Vulnerability

• Alert (AA22-131A) Protecting Against Cyber Threats to Managed Service Providers and their Customers

• Alert (AA22-117A) 2021 Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities

• Alert (AA22-216A) 2021 Top Malware Strains

• Alert (AA22-265A) Control System Defense: Know the Opponent

• Alert (AA22-137A) Weak Security Controls and Practices Routinely Exploited for Initial Access

Cyber Preparedness Resources

• CISA, FBI, NSA, and International Partners Issue Advisory on Demonstrated Threats and Capabilities of Russian State-Sponsored and Cyber Criminal Actors
• CISA/DOE Insights: Mitigating Attacks Against Uninterruptible Power Supply Devices
• Updated: Conti Ransomware Cybersecurity Advisory

• National Cyber Awareness System

• New Federal Government Cybersecurity Incident and Vulnerability Response Playbooks

• Cyber Essentials Toolkits

• Cyber Resources

• CISA Cybersecurity Awareness Program Toolkit