McCrary Institute

Today we're proud to announce a great new go-to website from the McCrary Institute. Introducing #ThreatBeat, our new one-stop site for news, analysis, alerts and context on the issues shaping cyber policy and infrastructure protection. You'll find the best stories from experienced cyber and national security journalists alongside original commentary, explainers and podcasts created by our McCrary team and informed by the wisdom of our senior fellows. All things cyber. All in one place. Visit ThreatBeat.com

New on #ThreatBeat: Federal cyber leaders warned Tuesday that artificial intelligence in the toolbox of bad actors requires urgent adaptation to meet the “scale and speed” of AI-propelled attacks and defend critical networks. Read the full story: threatbeat.com/facing-velocit…

"Privacy and data breaches matter… But OT matters more." Acting Under Secretary of Energy, and head of @DOE_CESER, Alex Fitzsimmons joins Cyber Focus to discuss why protecting the systems that keep the lights on is the most critical challenge facing the grid today. Full episode: youtu.be/U4aX28mQaDE #energy #cybersecurity

We had an incredible turnout at our inaugural McCrary Cyber Summit. Thank you to our speakers, sponsors, and everyone who attended in-person and online. Special thanks to @ONCD's Sean Cairncross, @CISAgov's Nick Andersen and Christopher Butera, @DOE_CESER's Alex Fitzsimmons, @FBICyberDiv's Brett Leatherman, and @USArmy's Brandon Pugh for kicking off the day with thoughts on the national cyber strategy and the interagency collaboration defining the work ahead. We heard tremendous industry perspectives from Booz Allen Chairman and CEO Horacio Rozanski plus our senior fellows and friends from the Alliance for Critical Infrastructure about the speed of AI, the threat landscape, the need for cross-sector collaboration and more. Couldn't join us in person? You can watch it here: youtube.com/watch?v=1HHv8h…

Starting soon! Tune into our inaugural McCrary Cyber Summit today at 10am EST. We have a fantastic lineup of speakers, leaders from across government and industry sharing their insights on the way ahead in our rapidly-changing cyber and AI landscape. View the full schedule: mccraryinstitute.com/watch-live-mcc… And tune in here: youtube.com/watch?v=1HHv8h…

Acting Under Secretary of @ENERGY & CESER Director Alex Fitzsimmons is headed to @McCraryCyber’s Cyber Focus podcast! He’ll join host Frank Cilluffo to discuss how DOE is restoring American energy dominance and the future of grid demands. Tune in 3/17: mccraryinstitute.com/podcast

First on #ThreatBeat: Pro-Iran hackers claim Microsoft outage, vow to ramp up attacks on U.S. companies. Exclusive reporting by our Executive Editor Bridget Johnson Read it here: threatbeat.com/pro-iran-hacke…

In a special episode of the Cyber Focus podcast, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross joins us on the heels of the release of the President’s Cyber Strategy for America and lays out what we need to know, pillar-by-pillar. He talks about how the strategy shifts posture to adapt to the “willingness of adversaries and criminal actors to be more aggressive.” Watch the full episode of Cyber Focus: youtube.com/watch?v=3vTjK9… or subscribe in your favorite app.

JOIN US for the inaugural McCrary Cyber Summit on March 17 bringing together the most senior government and industry leaders for insights on the path ahead defending the systems Americans rely on most. Space is limited so RSVP today gatsby.events/mccrary-instit…

Cyber retaliation isn’t the only risk in an active conflict with Iran. So is bad information. In our latest Cyber Focus podcast episode, Cynthia Kaiser explains why panic, rumor, and exaggeration can become part of the operation—and why disciplined response matters. Get the full episode along with insights from Mark Montgomery in your podcast app, or here: youtu.be/NnrSsDAPO1s

NOW VOTING: Confirmation of Executive Calendar #655 Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd to be General in the @USArmy.

New on #ThreatBeat: exclusive reporting by our Executive Editor Bridget Johnson on the cyber threat posed by Iran and its proxies. 📰 Hacking groups supporting Iran claimed new hits against critical infrastructure sectors, with some saying they had manipulated control systems and the earliest attacker of this conflict declaring that details they had swiped about a commercial complex were released to make a physical attack easier. Read the full story: threatbeat.com/critical-infra… 📰 Pro-Iran hackers urged “epic war” allies to stand as unified “mujahideen” as one team decided to withdraw from the coalition and settle into a neutral position due to Iran’s attacks on Kurdish territory and forces. Read the full story: threatbeat.com/cyber-mujahide… Threat Beat is producing excellent reporting tracking the increasing cyber threat from Iran and its proxies. We're especially focused on what this means for critical infrastructure. You can find all our coverage here: threatbeat.com/project/the-ri…

Today the White House released a new National Cyber Strategy. Our Director Frank Cilluffo sat down with McCrary Institute senior fellows Cynthia Kaiser and Mark Montgomery for their reactions. Cynthia Kaiser shares her thoughts on elevating cybercrime as a national priority. Mark Montgomery highlights the strategy's focus on critical infrastructure and the commitment that the U.S. government will no longer leave the private sector to defend itself alone against nation-states. And Frank Cilluffo emphasizes the strategy's shift toward changing adversary behavior by imposing real costs, moving the focus away from blaming victims and toward active disruption. You can watch their reactions here: youtube.com/watch?v=qJRk2w…

The National Cyber Strategy has just been released. Here's a statement from our Director Frank Cilluffo.

Our own Jacob Hall and Craig Whittinghill presented the General-Purpose Radio Frequency Enabled Cybersecurity Test Kit, or GRECKo, at the 2026 Transit Retreat held in Mobile, Alabama. GRECKo is an integrated, mobile cybersecurity test platform engineered specifically for mass transit vehicles and infrastructure. Special thanks to our partner Emma Frantz at CALSTART and to #TransitRetreat for the opportunity to showcase GRECKo and engage with a thoughtful audience!

New on the Cyber Focus podcast: @InsideCyber's @SaraEFriedman on the Trump administration’s push to prioritize AI innovation—and why NIST’s effort to develop standards for “AI agents” is becoming a fast-moving cybersecurity issue. Sara explains how AI is reshaping both cyber threats and defenses. Hear where she thinks this is headed—and what it means for policy and operators. Full episode: youtu.be/DZGjJm4mSh4

The latest on #ThreatBeat: A pro-Iran hacking group detailed an attack manipulating agricultural sector control systems in an incident the Jordanian government said was aimed at destroying a strategic wheat stockpile. Full story: threatbeat.com/pro-iran-hacke…

We're at war with Iran. What is the cyber threat to U.S. critical infrastructure from #Iran and their proxies? Look to our news site #ThreatBeat for original reporting and regular updates. threatbeat.com/project/the-ri…

Only on #ThreatBeat: Pro-Iran cyber threat actors began their promised retaliatory operations against Western and Gulf entities with largely a campaign of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, claiming an American port’s website as one of their targets along with other critical infrastructure sectors. Exclusive reporting by our Executive Editor Bridget Johnson threatbeat.com/pro-iran-hacke…