CISA Shields Up Status

Current U.S. national cyber threat posture and required actions for all organizations — sourced from CISA Shields Up guidance.

⚠️
ELEVATED THREAT POSTURE
CISA recommends all U.S. organizations adopt a heightened security posture. Nation-state actors and ransomware groups remain highly active against U.S. businesses and critical infrastructure. Updated: March 2026.
CISA activates Shields Up during periods of elevated national cyber threat — like the Russia/Ukraine conflict, Salt Typhoon telecom intrusions, and the healthcare ransomware surge. The current elevated posture means your business should be taking these actions now. Andrew at Swamp Fox Cyber Defense can assess your current posture for free.
// Required Actions — All Organizations
CRITICAL
1. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication on All Accounts
CISA Shields Up · Immediate
MFA prevents the vast majority of credential-based attacks. Enable on email, banking, remote access (VPN), and all cloud services. CISA calls MFA the single most effective control for any business.
CISA MFA Guidance ↗
CRITICAL
2. Patch All Known Vulnerabilities Within 72 Hours
CISA Shields Up · Immediate
Apply all available patches — especially for internet-facing systems (firewalls, VPNs, email servers). Check the CISA KEV catalog to see if your software has actively-exploited vulnerabilities outstanding.
CISA KEV Catalog ↗
HIGH
3. Test Your Backup and Recovery Process Today
CISA Shields Up · This Week
Verify that backups exist, are current, are stored offline or offsite, and can actually be restored. Most ransomware victims discover their backups were also encrypted. Actually test a restoration — don't just assume it works.
StopRansomware Backup Guide ↗
HIGH
4. Create or Review Your Incident Response Plan
CISA Shields Up · This Month
Know what to do before an attack happens: who do you call, how do you isolate infected systems, do you have your cyber insurance carrier's number, who is your IT contact. Andrew can help you build a simple one-page plan at no cost.
Book Free Incident Plan Review with Andrew ↗
MEDIUM
5. Remove Admin Rights from Standard User Accounts
CISA Shields Up · This Month
Employees should only have access to what they need for their job. Removing admin rights from day-to-day accounts limits how far an attacker can move through your network if credentials are compromised.
CISA SMB Cyber Guidance ↗
MEDIUM
6. Sign Up for CISA Free Vulnerability Scanning
CISA Shields Up · Free Service
CISA will scan your internet-facing systems and send you a plain-English report of vulnerabilities they find — completely free for any U.S. organization. This is one of the most underutilized free security services available.
CISA Free Cyber Hygiene Services ↗
// Active Shields Up Events
ACTIVE
Russia / Ukraine Conflict — Elevated Cyber Risk
CISA · February 2022 – Present
CISA activated Shields Up in February 2022 and has maintained elevated guidance. Russian state-sponsored actors including Sandworm and APT29 continue targeting U.S. critical infrastructure and supply chains.
CISA Shields Up ↗
ACTIVE
Salt Typhoon — U.S. Telecom Intrusions
CISA · December 2024 – Present
Chinese state-sponsored group Salt Typhoon compromised multiple U.S. telecommunications providers. CISA issued guidance for all organizations to strengthen communications security and assume potential call interception.
CISA Advisory ↗
ONGOING
Volt Typhoon — Critical Infrastructure Pre-Positioning
CISA/NSA/FBI Joint Advisory · 2024 – Present
Chinese state actors have pre-positioned in U.S. critical infrastructure — including manufacturing and energy supply chains — to enable disruption in a future conflict. Small vendors serving defense or energy sectors are specifically targeted as entry points.
CISA AA24-038A ↗
ACTIVE
Healthcare Ransomware Surge — CISA + HHS Joint Warning
CISA + HHS · 2024 – Present
CISA and HHS issued joint guidance after a significant surge in ransomware attacks against U.S. healthcare. RansomHub, Akira, and North Korean state actors specifically target hospitals, clinics, and dental practices.
HHS HC3 Advisory ↗
Source: CISA Shields Up · CISA Advisories · CISA SMB Guidance. For a free Shields Up posture check for your business, book with Andrew Wellman at Swamp Fox Cyber Defense →