• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
CommentaryCybersecurity

The U.S. is overdue for a dramatic shift in its cybersecurity strategy–but change is finally coming

By
Andrew Rubin
Andrew Rubin
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Andrew Rubin
Andrew Rubin
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 19, 2022, 10:41 AM ET
U.S. infrastructure has always been a prime target for cyberattacks–but recent years have seen threats grow exponentially.
U.S. infrastructure has always been a prime target for cyberattacks–but recent years have seen threats grow exponentially. Mario Tama—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

In 2021, ransomware attacks hit 649 U.S. critical infrastructure entities, according to the FBI. Even worse, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) revealed that “of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors … 14 sectors had at least one member that fell victim to a ransomware attack in 2021.” Almost 90% of all U.S. critical infrastructure sectors were hit by a successful ransomware attack in 2021. It’s a dismal and harrowing reality.

U.S. critical infrastructure has long had a very large and obvious target on its back. But in the past four years, as our entire world has become increasingly digital, cyberattacks on our nation’s most valuable assets have become incessant–and increasingly catastrophic. This unfortunate fact pattern is the reason why the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was formed in 2018. CISA, the “quarterback for the federal cybersecurity team,” was created to work across sectors to bolster national resilience in cyberspace.

Since that time, the threat landscape has shifted drastically. In the past two years alone, more than 76% of organizations have been attacked by ransomware and 66% have experienced at least one software supply chain attack.

The world will spend nearly $170 billion on cybersecurity in 2022, and nearly $20 billion of that will be spent by the U.S. Federal Government–yet we’re still hemorrhaging losses to ransomware. It’s clear that the way we’re approaching cyber is wrong–and it’s on all of us. That’s why the 2023-2025 CISA Strategic Plan–the agency’s first document of its kind–is so highly anticipated, and frankly, such a big deal. It’s not only affirmation and acknowledgment of the problem (we’re moving much too slowly in a threat landscape that changes faster each day), but also outlines a new path forward: one predicated on resilience.

In fact, the very first objective (1.1) in the plan is to “enhance the ability of federal systems to withstand cyberattacks and incidents”–ensuring that “FCEB agencies are prepared for and able to rapidly recover from cyberattacks and incidents” and “maintain mission continuity during and after cyberattacks and incidents.” This is an evident and deliberate shift away from the traditional security approaches of keeping attacks out (prevention) and detecting them quickly when they break through the perimeter. Unfortunately, our track record is proving again and again that these tactics no longer reliably work.

The traditional security models that we’ve relied on for decades aren’t designed to solve the problems posed by a hyperconnected, digital-first landscape. Ransomware and bad actors are bound to breach the perimeter and evade detection. It’s the inevitable reality of today’s technology and data-enabled world.

And so now, finally, we enter the era of breach containment and resilience. Organizations are focusing on isolating and minimizing breaches to reduce the impact and recover much more quickly. We are focusing on enhancing visibility across networks, workloads, endpoints, and critical infrastructure since you can’t defend what you cannot see. Risk reduction and resilience are finally serving as the north star for cybersecurity.

We know that government and legislation tend to be slow-moving in nature. But in an industry as dynamic, fast-paced, and far-reaching as cyber, we have long been behind the ball when it comes to mandating and regulating cybersecurity strategy across both public and private industries. CISA’s plan demonstrates that even at the federal level, there is enormous value in pivoting as the circumstances change and the need for a new strategy becomes evident. The attackers are experts at failing fast and adjusting, and the defender’s job is to always be as agile, and hopefully a step ahead.

This plan is yet another industry calling card to rectify the way we approach national resilience and cyber at large. Organizations and agencies are going to be attacked. Breaches and ransomware will remain the norm and those are now operating assumptions that should be held as facts. What we can control is how much (or little) damage or operational fallout those breaches incite.

CISA is the first federal agency to acknowledge that not only is the threat landscape shifting, but the way we must approach and defend against today’s evolving threat landscape must dramatically change as well.

Andrew Rubin is the CEO of Illumio.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

More must-read commentary published by Fortune:

  • Recession or resilience? Here’s how the U.S., Europe, and Asia stack up
  • Patagonia: ‘We are turning capitalism on its head by making the Earth our only shareholder’
  • How Germany’s regulators beat the SEC in the race for crypto regulation–and convinced me to establish my business there
  • Week-to-week management could be the solution to employers’ distrust of remote work
  • Don’t spoil the unique chemistry between America’s universities and pharmaceutical companies

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Andrew Rubin
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

ford
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades: Skilled trades shaped America’s past. Here’s how they can build America’s future
By Jim Farley, Linda Hubbard, Bayo Ogunlesi and Ruth PoratJuly 21, 2026
1 hour ago
Sumeet Agrawal is VP of Product Management (Data, AI Governance & Context Engineering for Agentic Systems) at Salesforce.
CommentaryAI agents
Salesforce VP on the leaky AI pipeline: why cheaper tokens won’t fix enterprise AI
By Sumeet AgrawalJuly 20, 2026
21 hours ago
japan
CommentaryJapan
Japan’s monetary conundrum — why the yen hit a 40-year low as interest rates hit a 31-year high
By Steve H. Hanke and John GreenwoodJuly 20, 2026
23 hours ago
ryan
CommentaryLeadership
I’ve interviewed 700 leaders. The ones outsourcing their thinking to AI lose their best people first
By Ryan HawkJuly 20, 2026
24 hours ago
ranch
CommentaryWorld Cup
Ranch dressing is quietly doing America’s diplomacy for it
By David BohigianJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago
jt
CommentaryRetirement
Gen X built their whole identity on never needing help. Retirement is the one door they can’t unlock alone
By Jeanne ThompsonJuly 19, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
17 hours ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
22 hours ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
3 days ago
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
Future of Work
Warren Buffett says his $147 billion investing career was an accident: ‘I may be one of the 10 luckiest in the world’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
Retail
It’s not just Taco Bell lettuce and possible glass in Pillsbury rolls: Food and drink recall events reached a 6-year year-over-year high
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.