Why
We are too dependent on undependable things. The systems that we rely on every day for everything from water and food to emergency medical care and power are subject to escalating harms by accidents, bad actors, and nation-state adversaries. Preventing these harms is a matter of public safety — and we must act now.
What
UnDisruptable27 will prioritize the safety, security, and resilience of four lifeline basic human needs…especially at the local level.
When
Technology disruptions to our lifeline critical infrastructure have been growing – with more disruptions, larger disruptions, longer disruptions, and even life-safety affecting disruptions. Thus far, these have been largely limited to financially motivated crimes. But we’re entering a new and more dangerous phase, where nation-level adversaries are willing to significantly increase the stakes with destructive attacks on these vulnerable lifeline services.
We have reached a level where major power conflicts include hybrid conflict. In public hearings earlier this year, Congress and U.S. government cybersecurity leaders warned the public of Volt Typhoon, a People’s Republic of China state-sponsored cyber actor that poses a “broad and unrelenting” risk to critical infrastructure and could feasibly carry out large-scale, disruptive attacks as early as 2027. They have already been found in our lifeline critical infrastructure. Perhaps sooner, Russian and Iranian actors, as well as other foreign adversaries, also could cause harm. By 2027, we must strive to make our lifeline basic human needs undisruptable – and where we cannot, ensure that our communities are more resilient under fire.
How
These disruptions are increasingly unnatural disasters, whether they are food shortages, water disruptions, delays in lifesaving care, or power outages. In order to tackle them, UnDisruptable27 takes inspiration from how we prepare our communities for natural disasters:
- Inform: What do our communities need to know? The more consequential the stakes, the more forthright we must be. We must never exaggerate and never downplay.
- Influence: What are the well-prioritized, well-vetted actions that we should take accordingly?
- Inspire: We must encourage and motivate a whole-of-society approach. Our best outcomes are possible when we communicate and adapt to information as it becomes available.
UnDisruptable27 will focus on the creative, storytelling strategies needed to achieve these three goals. We need to close the massive gaps in awareness by meeting people where they are, using empathy, and seeking effective, fit-for-purpose narratives that work – and by being willing to try radically new approaches.
Who
UnDisruptable27 will be led by Joshua Corman, Executive in Residence for Public Safety & Resilience at the non-profit Institute for Security and Technology (IST) and co-founder of I am the Cavalry and CyberMedSummit. Learn more about Josh’s long-standing life safety work.
We are not alone. UnDisruptable27 aims to tap into the ranks of existing philanthropic initiatives and the thousands of helpful hackers and technologists who are willing and able to do their parts.
With $700,000 in initial seed funding from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, UnDisruptable27 will run a pilot project focusing on the nexus of water and urgent care. This initiative is an integral part of Craig Newmark’s Cyber Civil Defense initiative, which focuses on bringing broad elements of society to bear to defend people, organizations, communities, and nations from cyber insecurity.
You’re an important part of the effort to strive for undisruptable lifeline critical infrastructure.
Time to 2027
Featured Content
Q&A with Josh Corman on UnDisruptable27
Director of Strategic Communications Sophia Mauro sat down with Josh Corman to learn more about the newly-launched effort to strengthen the resilience of lifeline critical infrastructure. How did Josh’s deep background in leading grassroots efforts and protecting critical infrastructure influence his decision to take on this project? How does UnDisruptable27 intersect with and build upon existing initiatives in the ecosystem? And what is the end goal?
August 26, 2024 | The TechnologIST
UnDisruptable27 in the News
A New Plan to Break the Cycle of Destructive Critical Infrastructure Hacks
WIRED’s Lily Hay Newman interviewed Josh Corman on the launch of UnDisruptable27. “An endless parade of data breaches, brutally disruptive ransomware attacks, and crippling IT outages has somehow become the norm around the world. And in spite of escalating impacts to critical infrastructure and daily life, progress has been intermittent and often fleeting. Something’s gotta give—and at the BSides Las Vegas security conference this week, a longtime critical infrastructure security researcher is launching a project to communicate with utility operators, municipalities, and regular people in creative ways about both urgency and optimism around protecting critical infrastructure now,” writes Newman.
August 6, 2024 | IST in the News
IST pilot targets preparing hospitals, water systems for China-backed cyber threats
Josh Corman sat down with Inside Cybersecurity’s Jacob Livesay to discuss the project and its aims. “For a long time, I’ve been saying we’re over-dependent on undependable things,” Josh explained.
August 14, 2024 | IST in the News
Cyber Initiative Pegs 2027 as Infrastructure Defense Deadline
“The project, which is called UnDisruptable27, wants society to prepare for near-future geopolitical conflicts in which cyber attacks are aimed at Americans’ access to water, medical care, power and food,” writes Government Technology’s Jule Pattison-Gordon.
August 14, 2024 | IST in the News
UnDisruptable27 Project Wants to Shore Up Critical Infrastructure Security
In Dark Reading, IST’s Josh Corman & Megan Stifel and funder Craig Newmark explain the need for UnDisruptable27. “Whether it’s food or shelter or warmth, everyone relies on infrastructure to live. Bad actors know that,” Craig said. “This isn’t alarmism.”
September 11, 2024 | IST in the News
SecOps “where bits and bytes meet flesh and blood”
“We live in glass houses, and people are about to start throwing rocks,” Josh Corman told TechTarget’s IT Ops Query podcast. Josh sat down with Beth Pariseau to discuss UnDisruptable27 and the threat nation states pose to our critical infrastructure systems.
October 31, 2024 | IST in the News
