CISA Office of Bombing Prevention Recognizes Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month

With an evolving threat landscape, infrastructure security remains a priority at all levels of government and the private sector. November kicks off Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is highlighting how critical infrastructure stakeholders can “Resolve to be Resilient” through proper planning. This month’s resiliency campaign highlights the integration of processes and practices into a response plan that anticipates disruption to infrastructure and reduces recovery time.

Some keys to safeguarding our infrastructure include preventing, protecting against, responding to and mitigating the use of explosives against both public and private sectors, which is the mission of CISA’s Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP). According to the 2022 Explosives Incident Report (EIR), a joint product between CISA and the United States Bomb Data Center, 2,538 bomb threats were reported in 2022—a 35% increase from 2021. The EIR also revealed a 23% increase in explosion incidents between the two years (from 785 to 966).

As part of this month’s designation, CISA OBP is engaging with stakeholders nationwide on the impact of bombing incidents and threats to critical infrastructure. This effort includes training and resources to reduce the risk of an attack. CISA OBP’s approach improves capabilities to protect critical infrastructure, which spans everything from healthcare, water, and education to chemical, transportation systems, energy and much more.  

CISA OBP’s Associate Director Sean Haglund reminds us, “Part of our society’s collective benefit is the protection and resiliency of critical infrastructure. While we cannot guarantee that an attack will never take place, we can work to minimize the potential impact through proper planning and coordination.” He adds, “Mitigating risk to our nation’s infrastructure is a fundamental component of national security, and we thank all of our partners for their efforts in its protection.”

To learn more about CISA’s November activities highlighting Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, check out Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month | CISA. For more on CISA OBP, including access to free training, awareness products and more about OBP’s mission, visit Office for Bombing Prevention | CISA.