Since the Civil War no battles have been fought on the American mainland. We think of wars as being fought in foreign countries. However, today there is a new battleground - cyberspace - and it might be coming to an organization near you.
In an article in Federal Times (https://www.federaltimes.com/opinions/2024/05/23/under-siege-business-risk-in-the-new-age-of-warfare) Michael McLaughlin and Kurt Sanger describe this new battlefield. The enemies include Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and cybercriminals working for them. Their targets include but are not limited to critical infrastructure.
In conventional warfare, citizens and companies expect their armed services to protect them. While the federal government has cyber defense capabilities, businesses must take steps to protect themselves and their customers from cyber attacks.
To date the most significant cyber attacks have been directed at water and wastewater systems, including in Aliquippa, PA. Other utilities are also at risk. Government protection against these threats may be inapplicable, ineffective or overly costly.
Businesses must be aware of cyber threats from nation-states as well as criminals. They must understand how international crises place their organizations at risk. They must have defense and resilience plans in effect to ensure they can survive a cyber attack.