CISA Releases Guidebook on Operational Security

Last week, CISA released a guidance document, “Guide to Operational Security for Election Officials,” which offers an overview of operational security, highlighting potential risks and offering practical mitigation measures. Although the product focuses on election infrastructure, the mitigation guidance is applicable to every critical infrastructure organization.

Operational security (OPSEC) is a systematic approach to identifying and protecting sensitive information, data, or capabilities within an organization, according to CISA. Without robust safeguards, sensitive information can be inadvertently or deliberately exposed and exploited by threat actors, potentially impacting the ability of workers to fulfill their duties, exposing customer personally identifiable information (PII) and enabling unauthorized access to internal systems and facilities. By incorporating OPSEC principles into daily operations and fostering a culture of security awareness, workers can significantly reduce the risk of malicious activity. Accordingly, the guide emphasizes the importance of viewing data from an adversary’s perspective to holistically assess and mitigate potential threats.

As water and wastewater utilities face an increasingly elevated threat environment, with a wide range of threat actors seeking to target the sector, OPSEC is a critical component in all security programs. OPSEC can include many different types of activities, including but not limited to protecting the PII of workers and customers, understanding potential vulnerabilities and sensitive information threat actors may want to acquire, and implementing countermeasures. Accordingly, the guide discusses implementing OPSEC principles, adversary methods of collection, and application of OPSEC countermeasures. Access the full guide at CISA.