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Introduction:

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a federal agency tasked with protecting US critical infrastructure from cyber threats. CISA maintains a MASSIVE list (over 150 tools) of free cybersecurity services and tools to help organizations of all sizes improve their security posture. There’s something in here for everyone, even if you want to just use it as a reference to make sure your enterprise stack covers similar bases.

Sample of CISA tools
Sample of CISA tools list

Types of Services and Tools:

The list is broken down into the following sections:

  • Foundational Measures – several general, high-level tasks to help with cyber hygiene
  • Reducing the likelihood of a damaging cyber incident – things like OpenVAS, Zscaler’s Ransomware Risk Assessment, and CISA’s CSET assessment tool
  • Detecting malicious activity quickly – a free basic SIEM, Aircrack-NG (a wifi security tool), and the NMAP network scanner, Wireshark, and SNORT
  • Responding effectively to confirmed incidents – dfTimewolf for forensic collection and several other forensics tools
  • Maximizing resilience – John the Ripper, the Microsoft Security Compliance Toolkit, and Microsoft’s threat modeling tool

Who Should Use It:

The CISA free cybersecurity services and tools are a valuable resource for organizations of all sizes. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, CISA can help you improve your security posture. If you’re at a mid-size or only have existing coverage in a few specific areas, leverage the tools on this list to give yourself more coverage in more areas.

If you’re just getting started in cybersecurity, this is a great resource to give you a wide overview of several toolsets, but it is not fully comprehensive (see cautions below).

Cautions about the Content:

It’s important to note that the CISA free cybersecurity services and tools are not a substitute for professional cybersecurity advice. If you have a serious cybersecurity incident, you should contact a qualified cybersecurity professional.

If you have existing tools, try to get the most out of those and understand any overlaps before picking up these tools. Many of these are open source or limited versions, so be aware of how those fit into your environment before use.

Also, there are some very technical tools that cover several domains, but some domains are not well represnted here: GRC, IAM, and limited third party risk managment

Conclusion:

The CISA massive (I’m going to keep emphasizing that) free cybersecurity services and tools are a valuable resource for organizations of all sizes. If you’re looking for ways to improve your security posture, I encourage you to check this out and try some of these to enhance your knowledge or empower your organization.