Scott Breor, acting executive assistant director for infrastructure security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has warned about violent extremist actors and domestic terrorists taking advantage of peaceful protests to escalate civil unrest, and pointed to a paper released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agency to provide information on how to safeguard critical infrastructure.
The CISA official wrote in a blog post published Thursday that the Protecting Infrastructure During Public Demonstrations fact sheet outlines risk mitigation measures that can be implemented by infrastructure owners and operators to address risks posed by extremist actors.
The paper recommends opening direct communication between owners and local law enforcement, adjusting business hours to not coincide with scheduled local demonstrations, having emergency plans and increasing security presence, among other risk mitigation efforts.
In addition, Breor noted that there is another agency fact sheet intended for personal safety considerations as high-profile individuals are also at risk to being targeted by extremists.
The document details basic security measures that could help citizens enhance personal safety, and lists several indicators of suspicious behaviors.