CIS launches updated Community Defense Model. New analysis identifies the safeguards that provide the greatest security value against today's most prevalent attacks CLIFTON PARK, N.Y., Sept. 21, 2026 - The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS(R) today announced the release of the CIS Community Defense Model (CDM) v3.0, the latest version of its data-driven framework that helps enterprises prioritize cybersecurity actions based on real-world threats. Built on attack data, threat intelligence, and MITRE ATT&CK(R) mappings, CDM v3.0 helps enterprises identify which CIS Critical Security Controls(R)(CIS Controls(R) Safeguards provide the greatest defensive value against the attacks they are most likely to face. The CIS Community Defense Model is grounded in the principle of collective defense, recognizing that enterprises often face similar cyber threats and can benefit from shared defensive knowledge. By connecting real-world attacker behavior directly to the CIS Controls, CDM v3.0 provides practical, data-driven guidance that helps enterprises reduce risk, strengthen cyber resilience, and maximize the impact of their cybersecurity investments. "Enterprises continue to face difficult decisions about where to focus limited cybersecurity resources," said Curt Dukes, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security Best Practices at CIS. "CDM v3.0 helps defenders cut through the noise by identifying the actions that will have the greatest security value against today's most prevalent threats." Among its key findings, CDM v3.0 reinforces the value of Implementation Group 1 (IG1) of the CIS Controls, also known as essential cyber hygiene. The analysis found that enterprises implementing IG1 can achieve coverage against: * 89% of System Intrusion techniques * 86% of Social Engineering techniques * 88% of Basic Web Application Attack techniques * 84% of Privilege Misuse techniques * 88% of Denial of Service (DoS) techniques These findings demonstrate that a relatively small set of prioritized cybersecurity actions can provide broad protection against today's most common attack types and reinforce CIS guidance that every enterprise should start with essential cyber hygiene. The analysis also found that enterprises implementing all CIS Controls Safeguards can defend against 99% to 100% of techniques used across the five attack categories studied, further validating the CIS Controls as an effective foundation for modern cyber defense. New in this release, the CIS Controls Active Defense Lifecycle(TM) provides a defender-focused capability that reinforces the value of layered defense and understanding where safeguards can disrupt attacker activity before impact occurs. By aligning safeguards to stages of attacker behavior, enterprises can identify defensive strengths, uncover potential gaps, and strengthen defense-in-depth strategies. CDM v3.0 also identified CIS Safeguard 4.1: Establish and Maintain a Secure Configuration Process as the most effective individual safeguard across all five attack categories, reinforcing the critical role of secure configuration as a foundation for cyber defense. The report further concludes that while artificial intelligence is increasing the speed, scale, and accessibility of cyber attacks, foundational cybersecurity practices continue to provide effective protection against many AI-enabled attack paths. Ultimately, CDM v3.0 helps enterprises answer one of cybersecurity's most pressing questions: What should Center for Internet Security, Inc. do first? By identifying the CIS Safeguards that provide the greatest security value against real-world threats, the model transforms threat intelligence into prioritized, actionable defense strategies. The CIS Community Defense Model (CDM) v3.0 is available now at www.cisecurity.org. About CIS: The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS(R) makes the connected world a safer place for people, businesses, and governments through its core competencies of collaboration and innovation. Center for Internet Security, Inc. is a community-driven nonprofit, responsible for the CIS Critical Security Controls(R) and CIS Benchmarks(R), globally recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data. Center for Internet Security, Inc. lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve these standards and provide products and services to proactively safeguard against emerging threats. Its CIS Hardened Images(R) provide secure, on-demand, scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center(R)(MS-ISAC(R), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities, and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center(R)(EI-ISAC(R), which supports the rapidly changing cybersecurity needs of U.S. election offices. To learn more, visit or follow Center for Internet Security, Inc. on X: @CISecurity.

The Center for Internet Security, in collaboration with OpenAI, has launched an AI Cyber Defense Pilot to help US state, local, tribal, and territorial governments strengthen cybersecurity. The initiative will bring together government and critical infrastructure organisations to examine how AI can address real-world cybersecurity challenges. The pilot programme will evaluate AI's potential to help organisations detect risks faster, prioritise security actions, and improve cyber readiness. Participating organisations will leverage OpenAI's technology to identify and validate findings, support remediation efforts, and advance cybersecurity best practices. The initiative aims to produce implementation guidance and recommendations to inform future adoption of AI-powered cybersecurity capabilities across the public sector. CIS and OpenAI seek to identify practical approaches that can help defenders reduce risk and better protect essential services.

Center for Internet Security launches AI Cyber Defense Pilot to strengthen state and local government cybersecurity. CIS and MS-ISAC collaboration with OpenAI will explore how AI can strengthen the cyber defense, resilience, and threat response of U.S. critical infrastructure At a time when defenders at the state and local government level are challenged by a growing threat landscape, AI has the potential to be a game changer." - Brian Calkin, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at CIS CLIFTON PARK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ - The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS), in collaboration with OpenAI, today announced an AI Cyber Defense Pilot designed to help U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments and critical infrastructure organizations harness the power of artificial intelligence to enhance cybersecurity and resilience. As cyber threats become more sophisticated and widespread, foreign adversaries continue to target the nation's critical infrastructure. At the same time, many public sector organizations and critical infrastructure operators must defend increasingly complex environments with limited resources. The initiative will bring together government and critical infrastructure organizations, including members of the MS-ISAC community, of varying sizes, regions, and cybersecurity maturity levels to examine how AI can be applied to real-world cybersecurity challenges. The pilot program will evaluate AI's potential to help organizations detect risks faster, better prioritize security actions, strengthen cyber hygiene, and improve overall cyber readiness. "The services Americans rely on every day are increasingly in the crosshairs of cyber threats. At a time when defenders at the state and local government level are challenged by a growing threat landscape, AI has the potential to be a game changer," said Brian Calkin, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at CIS. "This pilot will help us understand how AI can help organizations make smarter decisions, respond faster, and focus on the risks that matter most. The lessons we learn can help strengthen cyber resilience for communities across the country." The effort will be informed by the operational experience and cybersecurity expertise of the MS-ISAC community, which works daily to help SLTT governments prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. That perspective will help ensure the pilot focuses on real-world challenges facing public sector defenders. Participating state and local organizations will leverage OpenAI's technology to help identify, validate, and prioritize findings, support remediation efforts, and advance cybersecurity best practices aligned with the CIS Critical Security Controls(R) and essential cyber hygiene criteria. "We have a defender's window: a narrowing opportunity to use frontier AI to close security gaps before attackers seize them. Our partnership with CIS and the MS-ISAC is about making sure that opportunity reaches the defenders protecting essential services - including smaller and under-resourced teams - with the tools, training, and support to use AI for stronger defenses," said Sasha Baker, Head of National Security Policy at OpenAI. "What we learn from this pilot can help extend those capabilities to communities across the country, so that Americans everywhere are better protected from emerging cyber threats." In addition to supporting pilot participants, the initiative will produce implementation guidance, lessons learned, and recommendations to inform future adoption of AI-powered cybersecurity capabilities across the public sector and critical infrastructure community. Together, CIS and OpenAI aim to identify practical, scalable approaches that can help defenders reduce risk, improve resilience, and better protect the essential services Americans rely on every day. The pilot reflects CIS's broader commitment to helping SLTT government organizations navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into government and critical infrastructure operations, organizations must balance innovation with a risk-based approach to security, transparency, resilience, and accountability. Through its growing body of AI security resources, research, and best practices, CIS is providing practical guidance on secure AI adoption, governance, and emerging threats, helping organizations build confidence in the responsible use of AI. Additional resources on security artificial intelligence are available at cisecurity.org/topics/securing-artificial-intelligence. For additional information or media inquiries, please contact CIS Senior Media Relations Manager, Kelly Wyland, at [email protected]. About CIS: The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS(R) makes the connected world a safer place for people, businesses, and governments through its core competencies of collaboration and innovation. Today in New York is a community-driven nonprofit, responsible for the CIS Critical Security Controls(R) and CIS Benchmarks(TM), globally recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data. Today in New York lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve these standards and provide products and services to proactively safeguard against emerging threats. Its CIS Hardened Images(R) provide secure, on-demand, scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center(R)(MS-ISAC(R), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities. To learn more, visit cisecurity.org or follow Today in New York on X: @CISecurity. About MS-ISAC: The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center(R)(MS-ISAC(R) is the trusted nationwide network for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments. The mission of the MS-ISAC is to improve the overall cybersecurity posture of the nation's SLTT governments through coordination, collaboration, cooperation, and increased communication. The MS-ISAC is a division of the Center for Internet Security(R)(CIS(R), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Visit MS-ISAC or email [email protected] for more information. Kelly Wyland Center for Internet Security +1 518-256-6978 email Today in New York here Visit Today in New York on social media: LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube X Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. Today in New York do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.