THE CYBER DEFENSE CENTER OPERATES A NATIONAL CYBER DEFENSE FORCE POSTURE ADVISORY SYSTEM

THE ROLE OF THE CYBER DEFENSE CENTER

CYBER DEFENSE FORCE POSTURE ADVISORY SYSTEM

The Cyber Defense Center's Force Posture Advisory System is the only industry peacetime and wartime escalation advisory for changing a company's readiness state against cyber threats. This advisory model should be used in conjunction with wartime preparedness planning as recommended by the CYBER DEFENSE CENTER. Corporate incident response playbooks should be modified based upon current and changing advisory levels.

WARTIME READINESS

The Cyber Defense Center is the only partnership organization in the United States serving civilian and critical infrastructure to provide wartime readiness tools, capabilities, and services to prepare for cyber warfare. Threats in the fifth domain (cyber) are evolving and the US has now entered a conflict where private organizations are threatened by cyberattacks directly by other nation states.

The readiness state is intended to be used as an activation trigger for incident response procedures. Companies may adopt this model to improve overall response readiness for Peacetime (levels 1-3) and Wartime (levels 4-5).

CIVIL CYBER DEFENSE

Cyber warfare is likely to become a permanent feature of geopolitical competition. Nation states increasingly rely on cyber operations as tools of espionage, disruption, and influence. The United States must therefore develop durable frameworks for defending the digital infrastructure that supports national resilience.

The Cyber Defense Center develops these wartime frameworks for civil cyber defense (e.g. Jefferson Cyber Defense Doctrine, OTSEC, and CRIT-11, etc.)

By combining constitutional authority, historical precedent, and modern cybersecurity practice, the doctrine establishes a model for mobilizing civilian cyber defenders as part of a coordinated national defense effort.

This approach recognizes a fundamental reality of modern conflict:

The battlefield of cyberspace is largely civilian infrastructure.
The defenders of that infrastructure must therefore be treated as partners in national defense.

WARTIME

The Cyber Defense Center may serve as a supporting operational partner for several national cyber defense functions (under the Jefferson Cyber Defense Doctrine framework) including:

administration of the Cyber Defense Force Posture Advisory System
operation of the AlertNet National Cyber Defense Network
development of the Wartime Objective Model
coordination of wartime cyber defense exercises and readiness programs

These capabilities support both peacetime preparedness and wartime defensive coordination.

CYBER DEFENSE FORCE POSTURE ADVISORY SYSTEM

LEVEL 1 | PEACETIME | NORMAL

PEACETIME

LEVEL 1: NORMAL

This level indicates no direct or declared nation-state involvement in ongoing cyber-attacks. Attack attribution to known nation-state aligned threat actors is unlikely.

LEVEL 2 | PEACETIME | ELEVATED

PEACETIME

LEVEL 2: ELEVATED

This level indicates an increase in cyber-attacks due to elevated geopolitical or competitive nation-state conditions. Nation-states may be involved indirectly in attacks and attack attribution is possible.

LEVEL 3 | PEACETIME | ALERT

LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

PEACETIME

LEVEL 3: ALERT

This level indicates that nation states are threatening, menacing, preparing, or proxying targeted cyber-attacks on public or private sector critical infrastructure. Direct attribution may be limited. Adversarial nation-state cyber attacks are expected.

LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

WARTIME

LEVEL 4: CYBER CONFLICT

Nation-states are actively and directly conducting targeted cyber-attacks against public or private sector critical infrastructure. This usually involves the use of variants of current cyber tactics with some advanced tactics potentially weaponized or developed for specific targets. Cyber warfare by adversarial nation-states is imminent.

LEVEL 5 | WARTIME | CYBERWAR

LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

LEVEL 5 | WARTIME | CYBERWAR

WARTIME

LEVEL 5: CYBER WARFARE

Cyber warfare is active or declared. Attacks on companies by adversarial nation-states are active and underway. Attribution is conformed. Attacks may involve the use of advanced cyber weapons. Companies and infrastructure subject to attack campaigns conducted by nation-states may be targeted or indiscriminate.

LEVEL 4 WARTIME READINESS ADVISORY ISSUED

ESCALATION

The CYBER DEFENSE CENTER moves the cyber defense recommended force posture to LEVEL 4 for the second time.

As of 2.28.26, the CYBER DEFENSE CENTER has moved the recommended cyber defense force posture for companies operating or headquartered in the United States and its territories from LEVEL 3 to LEVEL 4. This posture change represents that Russia and/or nation-state sponsored threat actors or allies of Russia are actively and directly conducting targeted cyber-attacks against public or private sector critical infrastructure.

Moving from Level 3 to Level 4 also moves the recommended cyber defense posture from peacetime to wartime readiness. This is significant and is the purpose of issuance of this advisory.

READINESS

Using the buttons below, we will go over some tactical defense strategies that you should consider before such fallout heads your way. These advisories are focused on helping you think and prepare for cyber defense in wartime. This is very different from the approach you take toward conventional cyber defense today, although it involves some of the same defense capabilities you are using to combat peacetime cyber-attacks. The goal of these advisories is to offer some actionable threat awareness to you and your company to help you test and prepare for wartime. If you are seeking additional guidance, the CYBER DEFENSE CENTER is on stand-by to consult with you, your team, or your leadership teams on this introduction to wartime cyber defense force readiness. CONTACT US

WARTIME READINESS PREPARATION

PLANNING

PREPAREDNESS

PLANNING

Attacks on critical infrastructure are part of 21st century warfare. Planning for wartime defense and response to cyber attacks involves a new mindset, new scenarios, new response playbooks, and expert testing to optimize defense capabilities. CYBER DEFENSE CENTER provides some guidance for getting started and stands ready to assist critical infrastructure in this type of planning before it is too late. Learn more here or contact the CYBER DEFENSE CENTER today for a free advisory consultation.

PLANNING

MOTIVES

PREPAREDNESS

PLANNING

In wartime your company may be targeted simply because it is headquartered or operates in a nation-state that is an adversary in the conflict. Your company may be considered a strategic or tactical objective or just collateral damage of the many cyber campaigns waged during the conflict. Either way, this new domain of warfare has unwillingly conscripted your company onto the frontlines of the battlefield. Learn more about how the motives behind cyber threats are different during wartime.

MOTIVES

PREPAREDNESS

Your company may or may not have an incident response plan or test for wartime cyber incidents. If you do not have such a plan or it has fallen out of date, you should immediately establish such a plan as you prepare for a wartime cyber defense transition and preparation. If you have not performed a tabletop exercise of your incident response plan for wartime scenarios to date, learn more about wartime preparedness here before revising, testing, or activating your plan for wartime.

PREPAREDNESS

Cyber Defense Center

THE CYBER DEFENSE CENTER OPERATES A NATIONAL CYBER DEFENSE FORCE POSTURE ADVISORY SYSTEM

CURRENT ADVISORY LEVEL: LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

THE ROLE OF THE CYBER DEFENSE CENTER

CYBER DEFENSE FORCE POSTURE ADVISORY SYSTEM

WARTIME READINESS

CIVIL CYBER DEFENSE

WARTIME

CURRENT ADVISORY LEVEL: LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

CYBER DEFENSE FORCE POSTURE ADVISORY SYSTEM

LEVEL 1 | PEACETIME | NORMAL

LEVEL 2 | PEACETIME | ELEVATED

LEVEL 3 | PEACETIME | ALERT

LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

LEVEL 5 | WARTIME | CYBERWAR

LEVEL 4 | WARTIME | CYBER CONFLICT

LEVEL 5 | WARTIME | CYBERWAR

CYBER DEFENSE FORCE POSTURE ADVISORY LEVEL 4: WARTIME

LEVEL 4 WARTIME READINESS ADVISORY ISSUED

ESCALATION

READINESS

current CYBER DEFENSE current FORCE POSTURE

WARTIME READINESS PREPARATION

PLANNING

PREPAREDNESS

PLANNING

MOTIVES

PREPAREDNESS

PLANNING

PREPAREDNESS

PREPAREDNESS

PREPAREDNESS

ENGAGE CYBER DEFENSE CENTER TODAY TO TEST OR TABLETOP WARTIME RESPONSE

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