DHS and DOD Resources

DHS and DOD Resources

Both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) offer extensive cybersecurity resources, though they serve different primary audiences.
The DHS (largely through CISA) focuses on protecting the "dot-gov" and "dot-com" domains—civilian government agencies, small businesses, and critical infrastructure. The DOD (largely through DISA) focuses on the "dot-mil" domain, though it provides public training resources to support the broader defense industrial base.

🛡️ DHS / CISA Resources

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the central hub for civilian cyber defense.

For Small Businesses & Individuals

Secure Our World: A public awareness program providing simple, actionable guidance on four pillars: using strong passwords, enabling MFA, recognizing phishing, and updating software.

Cyber Guidance for Small Businesses: Tailored toolkits and essentials for businesses that lack dedicated IT security teams.

Cybersecurity Resources for High-Risk Communities: A catalog of cybersecurity resources for high-risk communities curated by CISA in partnership with Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) participants and other leaders in cybersecurity and civil society.

StopRansomware.gov: A one-stop-shop for ransomware alerts, mitigation strategies, and incident reporting.

For Technical Professionals & Infrastructure

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog: A living list of vulnerabilities that are actively being exploited "in the wild." Organizations use this to prioritize patching.

Cyber Hygiene Services: Free vulnerability scanning and web application scanning for federal, state, local, and private-sector critical infrastructure.

Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC): A public-private partnership where CISA shares real-time threat intelligence with major tech companies and infrastructure operators.

⚔️ DOD / DISA Resources

The Department of Defense focuses on the security of military networks, but many of its training modules are publicly available.

Training & Education

DOD Cyber Exchange (Public): A massive repository of cybersecurity policy, guidance, and training.

Cyber Awareness Challenge: The mandatory training for all DOD personnel, available to the public to use for their own organizational training.

Topic-Specific Training: Modules on the Internet of Things (IoT), Phishing, and Mobile Device security.

STIGs (Security Technical Implementation Guides): The gold standard for secure configuration. These provide detailed technical requirements to lock down software, hardware, and networks.

For Contractors (Defense Industrial Base)

CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) Guidance: Information for companies doing business with the DOD on how to meet required security standards to protect unclassified information.

Project Spectrum: A DOD-supported initiative providing small defense contractors with cybersecurity assessments and tools.