Are we ready for a cyber war? A recent MITRE tabletop exercise exposed the urgent need for infrastructure owners/operators, government agencies, and communities to shift from addressing isolated cyber incidents to preparing for large-scale disruptions lasting weeks to months. This fact sheet spotlights key insights and actionable strategies to safeguard essential services during prolonged cyber conflicts.
Five Steps to Prepare Critical Infrastructure for a Cyber War
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Past is Prologue: Creating a Civil Defense Mindset to Address Modern Cyber Threats
In an era of growing cyber threats, protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure is a priority. The U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2025 Annual Threat Assessment highlights the risk of adversaries, including China and Russia, pre-positioning access to U.S. infrastructure for asymmetric cyber operations. With sectors such as energy, water, transportation, and communications becoming increasingly vulnerable, the nation must prepare for prolonged cyber conflicts that disrupt essential services.
This fact sheet synthesizes insights from MITRE’s December 2024 classified tabletop exercise, which convened more than 200 participants from 70 organizations to simulate a sustained cyber war scenario. The exercise underscored the urgent need to transition from isolated incident response to comprehensive strategies for enduring cyber disruptions. Key findings emphasize the importance of fostering a civil defense mindset, managing limited resources, planning for operations under extreme conditions, strengthening emergency communications systems, and ensuring workforce readiness.