Virtual Library

Our virtual library is an online repository of all of the reports, papers, and briefings that IST has produced, as well as works that have influenced our thinking.

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Reports

Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3): A Primer on Strategic Warning, Decision Support, and Adaptive Targeting Subsystems 

Alice Saltini, Sylvia Mishra, Philip Reiner

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Reports

Securing the Signal: Mitigation Strategies to Strengthen Crisis Communication Channels

Christian Steins

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Reports

Strengthening Nuclear Crisis Communications: Steps to Implement Mesh Networks to Enhance Resilience & Security

Christian Steins

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Reports

Enhancing Cyber Resilience through Insurance: Revisiting Anti-Bundling Regulation

Sophia Mauro and Taylor Grossman

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Op-ed

ROOST Reminds Us Why Open Source Tools Matter

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Reports

Navigating AI Compliance, Part 2: Risk Mitigation Strategies for Safeguarding Against Future Failures

Mariami Tkeshelashvili, Tiffany Saade

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Reports

Deterring the Abuse of U.S. IaaS Products: Recommendations for a Consortium Approach

Steve Kelly, Tiffany Saade

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We also welcome additional suggestions from readers, and will consider adding further resources as so much of our work has come through crowd-sourced collaboration already. If, for any chance you are an author whose work is listed here and you do not wish it to be listed in our repository, please, let us know.

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Blueprint for Ransomware Defense: An Action Plan for Ransomware Mitigation, Response, and Recovery for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Ransomware Task Force

SUMMARY

In response to Action 3.1.1 of the Ransomware Task Force (RTF) report, which calls for the cybersecurity community to “develop a clear, actionable framework for ransomware mitigation, response, and recovery,” the Blueprint for Ransomware Defense Working Group developed a Blueprint comprised of a curated subset of essential cyber hygiene Safeguards from the Center for Internet Security Critical Security Controls® (CIS Controls®) v8. These Safeguards represent a minimum standard of information security for all enterprises and are what should be applied to defend against the most common attacks. This Blueprint for Ransomware Defense represents a set of Foundational and Actionable Safeguards, aimed at small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

Consequently, this Blueprint for Ransomware Defense utilizes the CIS Controls, a prioritized and prescriptive set of actions developed by a global community of cybersecurity experts. The forty (40) recommended Safeguards included in the Blueprint have been carefully selected not only for their ease-of-implementation but their effectiveness in defending against ransomware attacks. This has been backed by analysis from the CIS Community Defense Model v2.0 (CIS CDM v2.0), where implementing the Safeguards in this Blueprint defends against over 70% of the attack techniques associated with ransomware. It is important to note that this Blueprint is not intended to serve as an implementation guide, but rather a recommendation of defensive actions that can be taken to protect against and respond to ransomware and other common cyber attacks.

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