CISA Defends Critical Infrastructure With Early Cyber Alerts

As state-sponsored threats from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea become increasingly aggressive, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is accelerating real-time threat mitigation across the United States. Bridget Bean, executive director at CISA, outlined how the agency’s forward-looking strategy is reshaping national resilience.

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CISA is actively working on strengthening resilience through intelligence sharing, early warning systems and local partnerships. Bean said the agency has issued over 4,000 pre-ransomware alerts, powered by early signals and cross-agency collaboration, in just two years – preventing widespread attacks on hospitals, schools, state agencies and critical infrastructure providers. The result: $8.7 billion in averted damages and saving countless hours of operational downtime.

“We formed a Joint Ransomware Task Force, where CISA and FBI chair this task force, and it serves as a central body for coordinating a nationwide campaign against ransomware attacks,” she said. “The JRTF coordinates existing interagency ransomware efforts, so that we are a one-government approach, we have all of our efforts aligned and we all know what everybody else is doing.”

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Bean also discussed:

• How CISA anonymizes threat data through its Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative to help public and private sectors detect and disrupt attacks;
• The evolving scope of ransomware response through the Ransomware Vulnerability Warning Pilot and early alert initiatives;
• Why building trust and visibility on the ground is key to scaling national cybersecurity readiness.

Bean is responsible for the internal operationalization of CISA’s priorities and resources to meet mission requirements. By ensuring integration and alignment internally and externally, she drives enterprise operational excellence and institutional continuity to realize the full range of CISA’s capabilities. She previously served as CISA’s first chief integration officer.