CISA Partners with ASD’s ACSC, CCCS, NCSC-UK, and Other International and US Organizations to Release Guidance on Edge Devices

CISA—in partnership with international and U.S. organizations—released guidance to help organizations protect their network edge devices and appliances, such as firewalls, routers, virtual private networks (VPN) gateways, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, internet-facing servers, and internet-facing operational technology (OT) systems. The published guidance is as follows:

• “Security Considerations for Edge Devices,” led by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), a part of the Communications Security Establishment Canada.
• “Digital Forensics Monitoring Specifications for Products of Network Devices and Applications,” led by the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-UK).
• “Mitigation Strategies for Edge Devices: Executive Guidance” and “Mitigation Strategies for Edge Devices: Practitioner Guidance,” two separate guides led by the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC).

Foreign adversaries routinely exploit software vulnerabilities in network edge devices to infiltrate critical infrastructure networks and systems. The damage can be expensive, time-consuming, and reputationally catastrophic for public and private sector organizations. These guidance documents detail various considerations and strategies for a more secure and resilient network both before and after a compromise.

CISA and partner agencies urge device manufacturers and critical infrastructure owners and operators to review and implement the recommended actions and mitigations in the publications. Device manufacturers, please visit CISA’s Secure by Design page for more information on how to align development processes with the goal of reducing the prevalence of vulnerabilities in devices. Critical infrastructure owners and operators, please see Secure by Demand: Priority Considerations for Operational Technology Owners and Operators when Selecting Digital Products for guidance on procuring secure products.

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