A PUBLICATION FROM
The Future of Cyber Resilience:
Defending People, Enterprises, and Government in the Age of AI
Fall 2026 The MS-ISAC's Efforts to Help Defend the Nation Against the Next Generation of Cyber Threats How Public Safety Organizations Can Better Defend Against Today's AIEnabled Threats New Updates to Our Collective Defense Guidance to Help Enterprises Prioritize Cybersecurity Efforts How Data Protection Efforts Have Been Reshaped in the Age of AI
The threat landscape is changing rapidly, driven by emerging technologies, evolving adversary tactics, and growing interdependencies across critical sectors. Cybersecurity professionals must prepare for what's next through intelligence-led defense, collective action, and policies designed to address both current and emerging threats.
What happens when AI finds your security gaps before you do? The vulnerabilities aren't new. The speed at which they becomeAd attacks is. Placement Close your gaps faster. LEARN HOW
Contents Featured Articles
Quarterly Regulars
Building the Next Blueprint for Resilience Cyber resilience starts with shared lessons and collective action. Explore how the MS-ISAC is turning real-world experience, AI governance, and community-driven defense into stronger security outcomes for SLTTs.
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4 Ways AI Is Changing the Public Safety Threat Landscape AI is accelerating the speed, scale, and sophistication of existing threats. Discover four emerging challenges public safety organizations should consider as they assess evolving risks.
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Securing the Agentic Shift: Data Protection Across the AI Data Path AI agents are reshaping how data moves across organizations. Learn why protecting the entire AI data path is essential for reducing risk and maintaining control.
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CIS Community Defense Model v3.0: Turning Threat Intelligence Into Action Learn how CDM v3.0 helps organizations identify highvalue CIS Controls Safeguards, strengthen cyber resilience, and reduce risk with confidence.
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Quarterly Update with John Gilligan
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News Bits & Bytes
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Event Calendar
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Published by Center for Internet Security, Inc., 1712 Route 9, Suite 102, Clifton Park, New York 12065
Fall 2026 Volume 10 Issue 3
Founded MMXVII
Editor-in-Chief
For questions or information concerning this publication, contact CIS at email@cisecurity. org or call 518.266.3460 © 2026 Center for Internet Security. All rights reserved.
Michael Mineconzo Managing Editor
Jay Billington Copy Editors
Patrick Johnston Autum Pylant
Staff Contributors
Jay Billington Sarah Day Natalie Fischer Randy Rose Kevin Saupp Valecia Stocchetti
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QuarterlyUpdate
with John Gilligan
“We are witnessing rising concerns about the safety of leading-edge artificial intelligence (AI) models." As we transition to shorter days and cooler temperatures, we are witnessing rising concerns about the safety of leading-edge artificial intelligence (AI) models. Anthropic's announcement on their Mythos model earlier this summer raised concern that frontier AI models could be used by adversaries to find and exploit latent vulnerabilities. Recent reporting, however, has observed that AI models have acted autonomously to disrupt systems. Leading experts have cautioned that AI models are advancing faster than the controls necessary to govern their behavior and use. Some experts have raised concerns about the long-term risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems, including a few who have predicted dire consequences. In parallel, nation-state actors, such as Iran, and affiliated groups continue to target critical infrastructure in the United States, in some cases leveraging AI-enabled capabilities, leading to increasing concerns about the resilience of our nation’s critical infrastructure. Wow! What a summer. On a more positive note, the FIFA World Cup 2026 reflected the best of security coordination. Despite many cyber and physical threats, and against a backdrop of information operations by adversaries, the World Cup demonstrated exceptional cooperation between government, industry, and nonprofits to identify, assess, and mitigate potential threats. The Center for Internet Security was proud of our role in helping to coordinate and disseminate threat information to all participants. Given the heightened concerns about security threats, it is appropriate that this issue of Cybersecurity Quarterly focuses on cyber resilience. In this issue, Valecia Stocchetti and Sarah Day from our Security Best Practices organization have written a piece on the recent release of the updated Community Defense Model (CDM) v3.0. CDM v3.0 includes key findings on how essential cyber hygiene provides broad protection against the most common attack techniques, the CIS Controls Active Defense Lifecycle, and alignment to MITRE ATT&CK, Verizon DBIR, VERIS Data, and other threat and breach intelligence sources.
Kevin Saupp, Senior Advisor for our Operations, Intelligence, and Support organization, has provided a piece highlighting key findings from recent CIS research examining the impact of AI on threats to public safety, and recommendations for affected organizations on how they can adapt their defense strategies. Randy Rose, CIS’s Vice President of Security Operations and Intelligence, has authored an article describing the MS-ISAC’s unique role in promoting public sector resilience when it comes to AI. Randy also highlights resources available to SLTT organizations through the MS-ISAC, and discusses CIS’s recent agreement with OpenAI to provide SLTTs access to their latest model to identify and remedy security vulnerabilities. Our partners at Palo Alto Networks have submitted an article on data loss protection in the age of AI, which discusses the shift in data risk from manual uploads by employees to what AI itself can access, retrieve, and share; the operational layers where these risks emerge; and how security now must follow the AI data path. As the midterm elections approach, security professionals will be facing increased threats. The election community, with their partners in law enforcement and emergency response, will be addressing a range of threats from cyber, physical, and influence operations. CIS is proud of our efforts to provide situational awareness and threat updates to these communities to help ensure a safe and secure election. I hope you enjoy this quarter’s issue. Best Regards,
John M. Gilligan President & Chief Executive Officer Center for Internet Security
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NewsBits&Bytes Inside the Security Operation Behind the 2026 FIFA World Cup Protecting one of the world's largest sporting events required more than venue security. It demanded real-time intelligence, cross-sector coordination, and a proactive approach to emerging threats. A CIS report highlights how embedded analysts worked alongside FIFA and public safety partners to identify threats, share actionable intelligence, and support security operations throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The report offers valuable insights into the collaborative strategies that helped safeguard millions of spectators and can help communities prepare for future large-scale events. Learn more by reading our case study, watch our webinar, or listen to a deep dive conversation on our podcast.
New CIS Benchmark for Model Context Protocol (MCP) Servers As organizations adopt AI assistants and agents, securing the systems that connect them to enterprise data and applications is critical. The new CIS MCP Server Benchmark v1.0.0 provides vendor-neutral, consensus-developed guidance for securely configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, helping organizations reduce risk, protect sensitive data, and strengthen access controls. With actionable recommendations spanning governance, authentication, data protection, observability, and more, the Benchmark gives practitioners a practical framework for securing AI integrations and supporting responsible AI adoption. Learn more about the announcement here.
ConnectSecure and CIS Launch Essential Cyber Hygiene Fundamentals Bootcamp Strong cyber hygiene remains one of the most effective ways to reduce risk, but many organizations struggle to translate cybersecurity best practices into consistent operational processes. The new Essential Cyber Hygiene Fundamentals Bootcamp, developed through a partnership between CIS and ConnectSecure, a leading provider of vulnerability and compliance management solutions, helps practitioners build practical skills for implementing the CIS Controls through hands-on training focused on CIS Implementation Group 1 (IG1) Safeguards. The vendor-agnostic program equips participants with repeatable approaches to strengthen cyber resilience and establish a foundation for long-term security success. Learn more about the program here.
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2026 MS-ISAC Awards Recognize Outstanding Cybersecurity Leaders At the 2026 ISAC Annual Summit, the MS-ISAC recognized individuals and organizations whose contributions have helped strengthen cyber resilience across the state, local, tribal, and territorial government community. This year's MS-ISAC Award Recipients were: •
Community Impact Award – Kevin Galusha, Cybersecurity Architect, Clackamas County of Oregon
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Collaboration Excellence Award – Stephen Brucker, Derek Beauchamp, and Josh Haft, Security Operations Specialists, New York State Attorney General’s Office
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Leadership & Mentorship Award – Cristian Balan, Professor, SUNY Plattsburgh
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Innovation & Best Practices Award – Hsiawen Hull, CISO, California Community College Security Center
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Outstanding Knowledge Exchange Award – Dr. Domingo A. Castillo, Chief Information Security Officer, Miami Dade College
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Distinguished Service Award – Donald Pogue, Network Analyst, Westminster School District
Learn more about this year's awards and recipients here.
Building the Next Blueprint for Resilience From critical infrastructure to AI governance, today's challenges demand a collaborative approach. This is why the MS-ISAC continues to prioritize shared intelligence and collective defense to help the nation's state, local, tribal, and territorial government organizations build long-term resilience.
By Randy Rose In August 2026, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) hosted a webinar on a pattern that had been building quietly for years.
A Wake-Up Call for Critical Infrastructure Cyber incidents targeting water and wastewater utilities across multiple states had reached a threshold that demanded a direct conversation. Attackers gained access to and disrupted internet-facing operational technology (OT) systems—devices that monitor and control safe delivery of clean water and removal of wastewater— forcing utility personnel to fall back on manual operations. In multiple cases, the intrusions were discovered not through a security alert, but through operational impact. More than 2,000 people showed up to participate in that conversation. The session brought together experts from the EPA, the FBI, WaterISAC, OT-CERT (Dragos), the Center for Internet Security (CIS), Skagit Public Utility
IT and OT networks converged long ago, and our adversaries know this. Cyber resilience and operational resilience are no longer separable. Technology decisions have operational consequences, and in the public sector those consequences can impact entire communities.
District in Washington, and the State of Minnesota. Despite being one of several organizations holding calls, that kind of attendance reflected something interesting: widespread attacks on critical infrastructure had reached a tipping point and people across every sector needed a place to think through it together. The lessons from those incidents are worth carrying forward, because they apply well beyond water infrastructure.
When Technology Outpaces Governance IT and OT networks converged long ago, and our adversaries know this. Cyber resilience and operational resilience are no longer separable. Technology decisions have operational consequences, and in the public sector those consequences can impact entire communities. A
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pressure loss at a water plant disrupts hospitals, schools, and homes long before it shows up in an incident report. The security community has understood this about critical infrastructure for years. A more difficult question to answer is whether we are applying that same thinking to emerging technology before the incidents arrive. Technology can become deeply embedded in critical operations long before organizations have the governance and visibility needed to manage the risk. The recent incidents targeting the water sector reminded us that by the time an incident occurs, the technology has often become essential to daily operations. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is presenting a similar challenge today. It is already inside most organizations, whether it arrived through a formal process, a shadow IT decision, a vendor enhancement, or a browser extension nobody approved. Leaders are being asked to adopt AI, defend against AI-enabled threats, and govern the whole thing simultaneously, frequently without the resources, expertise, or framework to do any of it well. That is the same convergence pressure water utilities were under when Internet connectivity expanded faster than security controls could keep pace. There are parallels in structure, regulation, and adoption. We must not let there be a parallel in speed of response, too, otherwise we will be decades behind the problem. On the bright side, what makes the current AI situation more manageable is the same thing that made the water webinar useful: no organization is navigating this alone, and the experiences of those who are further along belong to the whole community.
Turning Shared Intelligence Into Shared Guidance The MS-ISAC has been tracking AI-enabled threats targeting state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments and translating those observations into actionable intelligence and guidance. While we’re not yet approaching the point where attackers are running
What makes the current AI situation more manageable is the same thing that made the water webinar useful: no organization is navigating this alone, and the experiences of those who are further along belong to the whole community. 4
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full-scale, autonomous, and agentic AI attacks, threat actors are using AI to improve the speed, scale, and sophistication of their attacks. Defenders can use it to detect patterns faster and prioritize more effectively. Neither attackers nor defenders have a permanent advantage, which means the organizations that build deliberate capability now will be better positioned when the threat landscape shifts again. Governance becomes increasingly critical in a rapidly changing technology environment. Decisions about AI deployment affect cybersecurity, privacy, accountability, access control, data bias, public trust, and more. Without a governance structure, even well-intentioned AI adoption creates a new risk surface. CIS and the MS-ISAC released AI Playbooks for SLTT Cybersecurity Leaders earlier this year to address exactly this gap, covering readiness, governance, risk review, and procurement in a framework aligned to the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0. A podcast series followed to help members work through the material, and a workshop series launched in September to bring member practitioners into the conversation directly, because governance frameworks are most useful when they are tested against real environments with real problems to be solved.
Learning Through Real-World Experience The same reasoning drove the launch of the SLTT AI Cyber Defense Pilot in partnership with OpenAI. The goal is to generate practical lessons learned from real AI deployments, in real government environments, shared across the broader community. Following the initial announcement of the pilot, Brian Calkin, CIS Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, said, "At a time when defenders at the state and local government level are challenged by a growing threat landscape, AI has the
potential to be a game changer. This pilot will help us understand how AI can help organizations make smarter decisions, respond faster, and focus on the risks that matter most. The lessons we learn can help strengthen cyber resilience for communities across the country." That last sentence is the point. Too often the lesson we learn is that we’re not learning lessons. This pilot is specifically designed to ensure the right lessons are being captured by the communities involved, not just the organizations running the pilot.
The Power of Collective Defense The communities most at risk tend to be the ones with the fewest resources to navigate this on their own. A rural water utility or a county sheriff's office do not have the same capacity as a large state agency or a federal department. That has always been true of cybersecurity, and it is equally true of AI governance. The MS-ISAC exists in part to make sure that gap does not predetermine outcomes.
When one MS-ISAC member discovers a means to deploy AI responsibly, every other member in the community should be able to learn from that experience. That is collective defense, and it is how hard problems get solved. Randy Rose has 22+ years of experience across local, state, and federal government. He leads Security Operations & Intelligence at the Center for Internet Security (CIS). He oversees the execution of CIS's Security Operations Center, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Cyber Incident Response, and Cyber Red Team missions. Previously, he led the largest Joint DoD Security Operations Center in Europe and headed the Intelligence Department for the Navy's Defensive Cyber Operations Task Force. After serving as an active duty airman in the US Air Force, he became New York State’s first local government-focused penetration tester. With an academic foundation in anthropology, political science, and cybersecurity, Rose focuses on the human side of security, strategic partnerships, and leadership that empowers.
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4 Ways AI Is Changing the Public Safety Threat Landscape AI isn't creating entirely new threats. It's making familiar ones faster, more scalable, and harder to detect. Explore four ways AI is reshaping the public safety threat landscape and what organizations can do to prepare.
By Kevin Saupp Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the threat landscape for public safety organizations. While threats such as fraud, trafficking, extremist activity, influence operations, and physical threat planning are not new, threat actors around the globe now have access to generative AI (GenAI) tools that enable them to conduct these activities faster, at greater scale, and with less effort. Rather than creating entirely new threat categories, AI is accelerating and amplifying many existing threat activities. Recent research conducted by the Center for Internet Security (CIS) points to four key ways AI is changing the public safety risk environment.
1. AI Can Lower the Barrier to Action
While threats such as fraud, trafficking, extremist activity, influence operations, and physical threat planning are not new, threat actors around the globe now have access to generative AI (GenAI) tools that enable them to conduct these activities faster, at greater scale, and with less effort.
Activities that once required significant time, expertise, or research can now be supported by widely available AI tools.
by CIS suggests AI can support illegal activities through planning, surveillance, impersonation, financial transactions, and operational efficiency.
CIS testing of publicly available AI platforms found that carefully crafted prompts could produce information relevant to physical threat planning despite existing safeguards. While much of this information is available through traditional research methods, AI makes it easier to find, organize, and synthesize.
For public safety organizations, the concern is straightforward: AI can reduce the time, effort, and, in some cases, expertise required to support harmful activity.
2. AI Increases Speed and Scale
Subsequent testing that specifically examined AI-enabled threats to event and stadium security produced similar findings. Each tested model in this study was able to be prompted to generate information about targeting emergency services.
GenAI enables users to create, analyze, and distribute information far more efficiently than manual processes allow. That means generating dozens of versions of a message, translating content into multiple languages, or analyzing large amounts of publicly available information can happen faster and at greater scale.
The same dynamic applies across other threat areas. Across a wide array of criminal operations, including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, and others, emerging reporting reviewed
These capabilities have implications across the threat landscape. CIS research on human trafficking identified potential uses of AI for personalized communications, translation, impersonation, and other deceptive
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outreach tactics. Similarly, CIS research on drug trafficking analyzed how AI is and can potentially be utilized to augment existing digital tools and operational activities for planning, communications, financial transactions, surveillance, and efforts to evade law enforcement. Even where adoption remains limited, AI can expand the reach and efficiency of existing illicit tactics. At the same time, AI-generated content creates challenges for analysts and investigators. As AI makes content easier to generate, the volume of information, leads, and claims that must be evaluated by public safety organizations increases as well.
3. AI Makes Deception More Convincing GenAI has also improved the ability to create realistic text, images, audio, and video. For public safety, the concern extends beyond whether a piece of content is real or fake. What often matters most is how people respond to it. CIS research on synthetic media and large-scale public gatherings examined scenarios involving fabricated emergency messages, false security incident reports, and impersonation of public officials, event organizers, broadcasters, and other trusted sources. Threats may involve not only fully synthetic deepfakes but also hybrid manipulations that alter authentic content in ways that may be harder to detect and easier to weaponize. A convincing false report of an active threat or evacuation order could influence crowd behavior, overwhelm emergency services, or complicate response efforts. Even short-lived deception can create real-world consequences. For example, AI-generated audio, video, or
For public safety, the concern extends beyond whether a piece of content is real or fake. What often matters most is how people respond to it. text may be used to report fabricated threats, such as an active shooter, prompting large-scale law enforcement responses. This makes trusted communications, established information sources, and rapid verification of information during incidents increasingly important.
4. AI Blurs Traditional Threat Boundaries AI-driven threats rarely fit within a single public safety discipline. A synthetic video distributed online can become a physical security issue. AI-assisted research can support physical threat planning. Personalized communications can facilitate fraud or victim targeting. Threat actors can rapidly synthesize information collected from public sources to support criminal activity. Major events often make the convergence of these threat environments especially visible. During the preparations for and throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026, CIS monitored threats spanning physical, cyber, and information environments. Analysts observed threats of violence, swatting attempts, extremist messaging, online scams, foreign information operations, and drone activity. AI adds another layer of complexity because the same capabilities can support activity across several of these threat areas. In today’s multidimensional threat environment, threats may quickly cross traditional organizational boundaries. As a result, intelligence, law enforcement, cybersecurity, emergency management, and event security teams may all need to respond to different aspects of the same incident.
What Public Safety Organizations Should Take From This Public safety organizations should incorporate AI considerations into threat assessments, planning efforts, exercises, and investigations.
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The key question is not whether AI creates entirely new threats, but how it changes existing ones. Can it make research faster, impersonation more convincing, fraud more scalable, or information operations harder to counter? It also increases the importance of information sharing. As AI alters the traditional movement of information across physical, cyber, and online environments, organizations must be able to connect indicators and intelligence from multiple sources. Different organizations may be better equipped to identify different threat indicators, such as a suspicious online narrative, an account connected to previous threat activity, or activity at a physical location. Connecting those pieces becomes more important as AI increases the speed at which information can move across the threat environment. Public safety organizations will not be able to predict every future use of AI. A more practical approach is to integrate AI considerations into existing security practices while focusing on how AI can make threats faster, broader, more automated, and more deceptive. This is consistent with broader CIS guidance, which emphasizes applying established security fundamentals to AI while adapting them to the technology’s unique capabilities and risks. CIS has developed resources to help organizations take that approach, including An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, which examines AI through the lens of established security fundamentals, and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agents Companion Guide, which provides practical guidance for applying the CIS Critical Security Controls to AI agents and their associated risks.
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The key question is not whether AI creates entirely new threats, but how it changes existing ones. Can it make research faster, impersonation more convincing, fraud more scalable, or information operations harder to counter? AI can also strengthen defensive capabilities. Through the AI Cyber Defense Pilot, CIS, OpenAI, and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) are examining how state and local governments and critical infrastructure organizations can use AI to identify risks, prioritize security actions, improve cyber hygiene, and strengthen readiness. The challenge for public safety organizations is therefore twofold: understanding how AI can amplify existing threats while also identifying where it can strengthen prevention, detection, investigation, and response. Kevin Saupp is a Senior Advisor for the Office of Strategic Programs and Initiatives (OSPI) at the Center for Internet Security (CIS), advising on law enforcement, homeland security, and intelligence matters. He has more than two decades of experience leading national security and public safety initiatives. Saupp previously served in multiple senior roles at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he focused on counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, and strengthening partnerships across federal, state, local, and private sector communities. His work at CIS focuses on emerging threats, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and helping organizations build more effective approaches to managing today’s evolving risk environment.
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Securing the Agentic Shift: Data Protection Across the AI Data Path As AI agents gain access to enterprise data, traditional security controls are no longer enough. Learn from our partners at Palo Alto Networks how organizations can protect sensitive information across the entire AI data path without slowing innovation or adoption.
By Suraj Subramanian and Elisa Hu Not long ago, the biggest AI data security concern was employees pasting sensitive information into ChatGPT. Now imagine a departing employee using a sanctioned AI application to review customer contracts and pricing data. The application is approved, but the employee is using a personal account, working with sensitive information, and asking AI to identify customer renewal risks. The app may be sanctioned, but the interaction isn't necessarily sanctioned. Now take that same scenario one step further. An AI agent acting on the employee's behalf can retrieve customer data through Model Context Protocol (MCP), call enterprise tools, and pass information to another agent through Agent2Agent (A2A), without the employee manually uploading a single file. This evolution forces a fundamental shift in strategy. Data Loss Protection (DLP) can no longer focus solely on manual uploads; it must now protect what AI itself can access, retrieve, and share.
Where the New Data Risk Emerges Securing agentic AI requires recognizing that data exposure no longer happens through front-door prompts alone. The risk has fractured across three distinct operational layers: •
Human to AI: Employees share source code, customer records, financial data, and other sensitive information with AI applications. The app is approved, but the account, intent, and data may not be.
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Securing agentic AI requires recognizing that data exposure no longer happens through front-door prompts alone. The risk has fractured across three distinct operational layers. •
Agent to tool through MCP: MCP gives agents a standardized way to connect with enterprise tools and data. If a tool returns more information than the task requires, sensitive data can enter model context without a user ever explicitly sharing it.
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Agent to agent through A2A: As specialized agents collaborate, data traverses new trust boundaries. An agent with privileged access can retrieve sensitive information and pass it downstream to another agent operating in a different environment, often bypassing traditional perimeter controls.
Across all three layers, the underlying problem is the same: traditional security looks at the payload, but misses the context. It cannot tell what an agent is actually trying to do, why it’s doing it, or where that data will land next. This is why data security must evolve toward AuthorityAware DLP, a dynamic approach that aligns data access with user identity, intent, and context. By evaluating user and agent identities alongside data sensitivity, destination, and business intent, security teams can finally
answer the only question that truly matters in real time: Should this user, application, or AI agent be allowed to perform this action on this data? That is how you move from blind blocking to precise control.
Security Has to Follow the AI Data Path Putting Authority-Aware DLP into practice requires a security architecture that follows the actual path AI data takes at the speed of the workloads themselves. Palo Alto Networks delivers this by embedding protocol-aware inspection natively across three critical layers of the enterprise footprint: •
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Workforce and endpoints (Prisma Access): Secure AI usage and endpoint agents, with visibility and control over MCP connections and sensitive data flows. AI applications and agents (Prisma AIRS™ AI Runtime Security): Protect prompts, responses, MCP interactions, and agent-to-agent communications at runtime, helping teams scale AI securely. Enterprise infrastructure (Next-Generation Firewalls): Protect sensitive data across data centers, private clouds, and AI infrastructure as it crosses network and trust boundaries.
Together, these controls extend data protection across human-to-AI, agent-to-tool, and agent-to-agent interactions, helping enterprises accelerate AI adoption without losing control of their data.
Extend Zero Trust From Humans to Agents For years, Zero Trust has focused on people: verify identity, limit access, and protect sensitive data based on context. AI agents now need the same discipline. That means understanding agent identities and connections, limiting access to the data and tools required for
For years, Zero Trust has focused on people: verify identity, limit access, and protect sensitive data based on context. AI agents now need the same discipline.
a task, protecting sensitive context inline, and enforcing policy as information moves between agents. The question is shifting from “What can this user access?” to “What can this agent access, and what is it authorized to do with the data?”
Protect Data at AI Speed AI agents won't wait for a person to copy a file, approve a transfer, or click send. As agents take on more work, the volume and speed of enterprise data movement will only increase. Data security has to evolve with it. Whether it's an employee interacting with a sanctioned AI app, an agent retrieving data through MCP, or agents exchanging information through A2A, approval at one layer should not imply trust at the next. Organizations need consistent visibility and control over sensitive data wherever AI accesses it, from the first prompt to an MCP tool call to the next agent in a workflow. Suraj Subramanian is a Senior Product Manager for Data Security at Palo Alto Networks. With 20+ years in cybersecurity and networking, he specializes in cloud security, modern data protection, and helping enterprises safely adopt generative AI. He holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE). Elisa Hu is a Product Marketing Lead at Palo Alto Networks, focused on securing SaaS and AI-driven enterprise environments. With a background in management consulting, she is passionate about helping organizations grow and transform while maintaining visibility, control, and trust. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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CIS Community Defense Model v3.0: Turning Threat Intelligence Into Action Discover how the latest version of the CIS Community Defense Model utilizes real-world threat intelligence to deliver clear, data-driven actions that help organizations streamline priorities, reduce risk, and strengthen cyber resilience.
By Sarah Day and Valecia Stocchetti Cybersecurity teams face a common challenge: too many threats, too many vulnerabilities, and too few resources. Every day, enterprises must decide where to focus limited time, budget, and staff. Which safeguards should be implemented first? Which investments will have the greatest impact? And how can teams prioritize actions that meaningfully reduce risk? The CIS Community Defense Model (CDM) v3.0 helps answer those questions. By connecting real-world attack data to the Safeguards in the CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls), the CDM helps organizations identify the actions that provide the greatest security value against the threats they are most likely to face. At its foundation is a simple principle: enterprises share more cybersecurity challenges than they realize. Whether defending a local government, school district, nonprofit,
By connecting real-world attack data to the Safeguards in the CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls), the CDM helps organizations identify the actions that provide the greatest security value against the threats they are most likely to face. critical infrastructure organization, or global enterprise, security teams routinely confront many of the same attack techniques and vulnerabilities. If organizations face common threats, they can benefit from common defensive strategies. That is the power of collective cyber defense.
Connecting Threat Intelligence to Action The cybersecurity community generates enormous amounts of data, from threat intelligence reports and breach investigations to vulnerability disclosures. The challenge isn't access to information. The challenge is determining what to do with it. CDM v3.0 bridges that gap by connecting real-world attack data directly to the Safeguards in the CIS Controls. Built on industry threat intelligence, breach data, Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) findings, Vocabulary for Event Recording and Incident Sharing (VERIS) data, and MITRE ATT&CK, the model identifies
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which Safeguards deliver the greatest defensive value against today's most prevalent attack types. The Community Defense Model connects attacker behavior and Safeguards to provide prioritized protection against real-world threats. The result is practical, evidence-based guidance that helps enterprises determine what to secure first, and where cybersecurity investments can have the greatest impact to improve their overall cyber resilience.
Key Findings from CDM v3.0 CDM v3.0 validates the effectiveness of the CIS Controls while providing organizations with a data-driven approach to cybersecurity prioritization. Several findings stand out. Essential Cyber Hygiene Provides Broad Protection One of the clearest findings from CDM v3.0 is that essential cyber hygiene remains effective for reducing cyber risk. Enterprises implementing CIS Controls Implementation Group 1 (IG1) Safeguards can achieve broad protection against the most prevalent attack categories analyzed in the model: •
89% of System Intrusion techniques
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86% of Social Engineering techniques
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88% of Basic Web Application Attack techniques
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86% of Privilege Misuse techniques
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88% of Denial of Service (DoS) techniques
These results demonstrate that organizations do not need a highly mature cybersecurity program to achieve meaningful risk reduction. A focused set of prioritized Safeguards can provide substantial protection against real-world attacks. This reinforces CIS guidance that
Among all Safeguards analyzed, CIS Safeguard 4.1, Establish and Maintain a Secure Configuration Process, emerged as the most effective safeguard across all five attack types.
every enterprise should start their cybersecurity journey with essential cyber hygiene. Further analysis also found that enterprises implementing all CIS Controls Safeguards can defend against 99% of techniques used across the five attack types studied, further validating the CIS Controls as an effective foundation for modern cyber defense. Secure Configuration Remains Critical Among all Safeguards analyzed, CIS Safeguard 4.1, Establish and Maintain a Secure Configuration Process, emerged as the most effective Safeguard across all five attack types. This finding reinforces a longstanding cybersecurity principle: secure configurations remain foundational to cyber resilience. Enterprises that establish and maintain secure configurations significantly strengthen their ability to defend against a broad range of threats.
AI Is Changing Attack Velocity, Not Defensive Fundamentals While artificial intelligence is helping attackers increase the speed, scale, and sophistication of cyber attacks, CDM v3.0 found that many AI-enabled threats still fall into familiar attack categories. The core defensive practices remain largely unchanged. Foundational cybersecurity safeguards continue to provide effective protection against the techniques attackers use most frequently.
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Introducing the CIS Controls Active Defense Lifecycle New in CDM v3.0, the CIS Controls Active Defense Lifecycle provides a defender-focused capability for understanding how Safeguards disrupt attacks across the attack lifecycle that reinforces the value of layered defense. The Lifecycle organizes attacker activity into five stages: 1.
Reconnaissance and Planning
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Beginning Intrusion
3.
Access Expansion
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Defensive Movement
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Final Stage
By mapping CIS Safeguards to each stage of attacker activity, enterprises can better understand where defenses prevent, interrupt, contain, or mitigate attacks before they achieve their objectives. This approach helps enterprises identify defensive strengths, uncover potential gaps, and build more effective defense-in-depth strategies. It also provides a practical framework for planning, communicating, and improving cybersecurity programs over time.
Ready to Turn Threat Intelligence Into Action? Download the CIS Community Defense Model (CDM) v3.0 to explore the Safeguards that provide the greatest security value against today's most prevalent cyber attacks. Built on real-world attack data, industry threat intelligence, Verizon DBIR research, VERIS data, and MITRE
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Cybersecurity Quarterly
Built on real-world attack data, industry threat intelligence, Verizon DBIR research, VERIS data, and MITRE ATT&CK mappings, CDM v3.0 provides a practical, evidence-based approach to cybersecurity prioritization. ATT&CK mappings, CDM v3.0 provides a practical, evidence-based approach to cybersecurity prioritization. The findings reinforce the effectiveness of the CIS Controls and provide enterprises with a clear path toward stronger cyber resilience and better defenses against today's most prevalent threats. Sarah Day is a Senior Cybersecurity Controls Engineer for the Center for Internet Security. She is responsible for the Community Defense Model, CIS Risk Assessment Methodology, and other Controls projects that help serve the cybersecurity underserved. She has seven years of consulting experience for IT general controls, IT and information security risk assessments, and other controls assessments for financial institutions, healthcare, retail, higher education, manufacturing, local government, and other industries. Valecia Stocchetti is a Senior Cybersecurity Engineer for the Center for Internet Security (CIS). As a member of the CIS Controls team, she has led multiple projects, including the CIS Community Defense Model (CDM) v2.0, the CIS Risk Assessment Method (CIS RAM) v2.1, as well as multiple Living off the Land (LotL) guides and the Blueprint for Ransomware Defense. Prior to joining the team, she led the Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) at the Multi-State and Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (MS-ISAC® and EI-ISAC®). While managing CIRT, Stocchetti spearheaded multiple forensic investigations and incident response engagements for the MS- and EI-ISAC’s State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) community. Stocchetti came to CIS from the eCommerce field, where she worked complex financial fraud cases. She holds many certifications, including GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner (GCFE), GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA), and GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC). Stocchetti earned a bachelor's degree in Digital Forensics at the University of Albany - State University of New York and a master’s degree in Information Security from Champlain College.
UpcomingEvents October October 27 - 30 The South Carolina Association for Educational Technology (SCAET) will host SC EdTech at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, SC. As the state's largest educational technology conference, the event brings educators, administrators, industry representatives, policy makers, and other stakeholders together to strategically implement innovative strategies to expand effective use of educational technology in evolving learning environments. The CIS team will be onsite in the event expo, sharing our cybersecurity resources for public K-12s and higher education. Learn more at https://edtech.scaet.org/.
October 27 - 30 The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference will take place at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO. The event connects the best thinkers in higher education technology, bringing together education professionals and technology providers from around the world to network, share ideas, grow professionally, and discover solutions to today’s challenges. Learn more at https://events.educause.edu/ annual-conference.
October 28 - 30 The North Carolina Local Government Information Security Association (NCLGISA) will host the NCLGISA Fall Symposium at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, NC. Celebrating the organization's 50th anniversary, the event will bring together government IT and cybersecurity leaders and professionals from across the state to learn from industry thought leaders, share best practices, and network with peers. The CIS team will be onsite in the event expo sharing our cybersecurity resources for local governments. Learn more at https://events.nclgisa.org/e/fall2026-conference.
October 29 The 14th Annual Dallas Official Cybersecurity Summit will take place at the Sheraton Dallas in Dallas, TX. The event will bring together leaders and cybersecurity professionals to learn about the latest cyber threats from industry experts, engage with leading vendors, and network with peers. Through our partnership, U.S. SLTT government entities can receive free admission. Contact the CIS CyberMarket team for more details. Learn more at https://cyberriskalliance. swoogo.com/dallas-oct-2026. .
November November 4 - 6 The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) will host CLPHA Convene Austin in Austin, TX. The event will bring together public housing authorities from across the country to learn from industry experts, share best practices, and network with peers. MS-ISAC Community Engagement Manager Elijah Cedeno will lead a session at the event on cybersecurity resources for public sector organizations. Learn more at https:// clpha.org/2026-clpha-convene-austin.
November 4 - 6 The Georgia Educational Technology Consortium will host the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC) at the Georgia International Conference Center in Atlanta, GA. The event brings together educators from across the state to help increase their understanding of the role of technology in education and provides an opportunity to learn the latest in education technology. Learn more at https://conference.gaetc.org/.
November 10 The MS-ISAC and the Samish Indian Nation will host the Washington MS-ISAC Regional Meeting at the Fidalgo Bay Resort in Anacortes, WA. The event will bring together state, local, tribal, and other publicsector cybersecurity leaders and practitioners from across the state for threat intelligence sharing, best-practice discussion, and peer networking. For more information about the event and to register, contact the MS-ISAC team.
Fall 2026
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November 12
November 15 - 18
November 17
The 8 Annual Houston Official Cybersecurity Summit will take place at the Westin Galleria Houston in Houston, TX. The event will bring together leaders and cybersecurity professionals to learn about the latest cyber threats from industry experts, engage with leading vendors, and network with peers. Through our partnership, U.S. SLTT government entities can receive free admission. Contact the CIS CyberMarket team for more details. Learn more at https://cyberriskalliance. swoogo.com/Houston2026.
The Cybersecurity Marketing Society will host CyberMarketingCon at the Marriott Austin Downtown in Austin, TX. The event will bring together cybersecurity marketers from across the country to learn the latest in marketing in the cybersecurity industry while networking with their peers. CIS Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Joy Hays will lead a breakout session on flagship campaigns. Learn more at https://www. cybermarketingconference.com/.
The 18th Edition of the New York Official Cybersecurity Summit will take place at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in New York, NY. The event will bring together leaders and cybersecurity professionals to learn about the latest cyber threats from industry experts, engage with leading vendors, and network with peers. Through our partnership, U.S. SLTT government entities can receive free admission. Contact the CIS CyberMarket team for more details. Learn more at https://cyberriskalliance. swoogo.com/NewYork-Fall-2026.
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November 13 San Diego CyberCon will take place at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina in San Diego, CA. Hosted by several local cybersecurity nonprofits and member associations in the San Diego area, the event brings San Diego and Southern California's cybersecurity community together for a worldclass, educational cybersecurity event. Attendees will learn from industry experts, engage in hands-on workshops, share best practices, and network with peers. CIS SVP and Chief Engineer Marcus Sachs will be a featured speaker at the event. Learn more at https:// sdcybercon.org/.
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Cybersecurity Quarterly
November 15 - 17 GovRAMP will host the GovRAMP Cyber Summit at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX. Senior government and industry leaders from across the country will come together at the event for actionable insights, candid peer discussions, and scalable approaches to strengthening cybersecurity while reducing cost, complexity, and risk. CIS Senior Director of Threat Intelligence TJ Sayers will be a featured speaker at the event, discussing AI risk in government systems with a panel of experts. Learn more at https://govramp. org/events/2026-cyber-summit.
November 17 - 18 Billington CyberSecurity will host the Billington Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Summit at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX. The event will convene all four lifeline sectors — energy, communications, transportation, and water — with every stakeholder in their defense: owner-operators, OT practitioners, state and local leaders, and federal partners, in one room to discuss their collective defense against cyber threats. CIS SVP and Chief Engineer Marcus Sachs will be a featured speaker at the event. Learn more at https://criticalinfrastructure. billingtoncybersummit.com/.
November 17 - 19
November 19 - 21
November 30 - December 4
California IT in Education (CITE) will host the CITE Annual Conference at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. The event provides unparalleled opportunity for professionals in the field of IT in education to expand their knowledge, network with peers, and engage with leading industry vendors. Attendees can delve into a wide array of topics, discovering innovative solutions and best practices tailored to their roles. The CIS team will be at Booth #NP8 in the expo, sharing our tools and resources for K-12 and higher education. Learn more at https://events.cite.org/.
The National League of Cities (NLC) will host the NLC City Summit at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN. The event is one of the largest gatherings of local elected officials and local government advocates, convening local leaders from across the nation to connect, learn and engage with one another. Learn more at https://citysummit.nlc.org/.
AWS re:Invent takes place in Las Vegas, NV. The event is the premier conference for the AI and cloud community from around the globe to come together to work through what's next. Experts will share their knowledge and best practices during over 2,200 sessions. Learn more at https://aws. amazon.com/events/reinvent/.
November 17 - 20 Microsoft Ignite will take place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. Microsoft's signature user conference will allow attendees to see the AI and cloud roadmap first, get hands-on experience, and connect with experts to turn new skills into action immediately. Attendees will also get guidance from Microsoft experts, learn from customer experience, and connect with partners who can help them move forward. Learn more at https://ignite.microsoft.com/.
November 19 The 2nd Annual Vancouver Official Cybersecurity Summit will take place at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver in Vancouver, BC. The event will bring together leaders and cybersecurity professionals to learn about the latest cyber threats from industry experts, engage with leading vendors, and network with peers. Through our partnership, U.S. SLTT government entities can receive free admission. Contact the CIS CyberMarket team for more details. Learn more at https://cyberriskalliance. swoogo.com/Vancouver-2026.
November 20 The 8th Annual Scottsdale Official Cybersecurity Summit will take place at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, AZ. The event will bring together leaders and cybersecurity professionals to learn about the latest cyber threats from industry experts, engage with leading vendors, and network with peers. Through our partnership, U.S. SLTT government entities can receive free admission. Contact the CIS CyberMarket team for more details. Learn more at https://cyberriskalliance. swoogo.com/Scottsdale-2026.
November 22 - 24 The New York State Association for Computers and Technology in Education (NYSCATE) will host the NYSCATE Annual Conference at Turning Stone Resort and Conference Center in Verona, NY. The event will bring together teachers and technology experts from across New York State for three days of networking, learning, and showcasing exemplary education applications of technology. Learn more at https://www. nyscate.org/annual-conference.html.
December December 2 The 4th Annual Jacksonville Official Cybersecurity Summit will take place at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa in Ponte Verda Beach, FL. The event will bring together leaders and cybersecurity professionals to learn about the latest cyber threats from industry experts, engage with leading vendors, and network with peers. Through our partnership, U.S. SLTT government entities can receive free admission. Contact the CIS CyberMarket team for more details. Learn more at https://cyberriskalliance. swoogo.com/jacksonville-dec-2026.
December 9 The Financial Services AI Security Forum will take place at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York, NY. Bringing together senior leaders from banking, insurance, fintech, and financial services, the event will explore the security, governance, risk, and operational challenges of AI adoption. CIS Executive Director John Cohen will provide the opening keynote, discussing the evolution of AI-enabled crime and defending against emerging and multidimensional threats. Learn more at https://events. thecyberfinanceforum.com/ai-finance.
Fall 2026
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CIS CyberMarket
Interested in being a contributor? Please contact us: CyberMarket@cisecurity.org www.cisecurity.org 518.266.3460
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