White House Unveils Guidelines to Protect Critical Infra from 21st Century Threats

The White House has unveiled National Security Memorandum-22 (NSM), a pivotal document updating the national approach to safeguarding critical infrastructure from cyber and all-hazard threats.

At the heart of this initiative lies the 2025 National Infrastructure Risk Management Plan (National Plan), replacing the outdated 2013 National Infrastructure Protection Plan. The Plan will serve as a guiding beacon for federal endeavors to fortify and defend critical infrastructure in the years ahead.

In its capacity as the National Coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will spearhead the development of this pivotal National Plan. 

The Plan will harness all available federal tools, resources, and authorities to effectively manage and diminish national-level risks, including those with cascading effects across critical infrastructure sectors. 

CISA will rely on the collaborative efforts of its partners and other Sector Risk Management Agencies (SRMAs) throughout the year as they craft this foundational document.

Last month, CISA issued the safety and security guidelines for critical infrastructure, which aim to tackle both the beneficial opportunities presented by AI across 16 sectors, including farming and IT, and the potential risks of its weaponization or misuse.