What we want to protect!

Critical Social Infrastructure (CSI)

This term refers to the essential community services, facilities, institutions, and networks—including the people, organizations, and systems that sustain them—that uphold social well-being, connection, and resilience.

CSI includes schools, hospitals, libraries, parks, community centers, religious organizations, notaries public, social service agencies, fraternities and sororities, youth clubs, and community-focused nonprofits. It also encompasses the professionals and volunteers—teachers, social workers, mental health professionals, clergy, notaries, and coaches—whose labor builds and sustains community life. 

Unlike “hard” or economic infrastructure (e.g., energy grids, transportation systems), CSI embodies the social fabric that allows communities to thrive in both everyday life and times of crisis. Protecting CSI is critical to human development, equitable opportunity, and the long-term stability of democratic societies. 

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Why It Matters

1. Community Resilience In crises such as pandemics, natural disasters, or social unrest, CSI facilities often serve as shelters, distribution hubs, and places of refuge. The professionals within them provide psychological support, case management, and guidance that strengthen communities’ ability to withstand shocks.

2. Economic and Social Well-Being CSI generates social capital, builds trust networks, and provides access to opportunities that help individuals escape poverty. Local nonprofits, notaries, and religious institutions often serve as the first point of access for those navigating housing, employment, or immigration challenges.

3. Health and Safety By providing mental health counseling, mentoring, and youth engagement programs, CSI reduces crime risks, improves public health, and enhances quality of life.

4. Everyday Life and Thriving Communities Social infrastructure shapes how people gather, interact, and co-create their neighborhoods. It fuels cultural continuity, supports identity formation, and ensures inclusive participation in civic life.

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Ten Examples of Cyber and Cognitive Attacks on Critical Social Infrastructure

1. Ransomware on Hospitals and Clinics

• Example: The 2021 attack on Ireland’s Health Service Executive disrupted nationwide care delivery, postponing critical treatments.

• Impact: Lives at risk, community trust eroded, economic costs in the hundreds of millions.

2. Phishing Campaigns Targeting Social Workers

• Example: Emails spoofing government agencies to harvest client data from nonprofit staff.

• Impact: Exposure of sensitive case files; potential harm to vulnerable populations.

3. Misinformation Campaigns Against Religious Organizations

• Example: Disinformation about vaccination programs spread through church networks during COVID-19.

• Impact: Lower vaccination rates, increased mortality, public distrust.

4. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) on Libraries or Community Centers

• Example: Hacktivist-driven attacks against educational institutions’ digital catalogs.

• Impact: Disruption of online learning resources, especially for underserved communities.

5. Deepfake Harassment of Community Leaders

• Example: Fabricated videos of nonprofit leaders making offensive statements.

• Impact: Loss of credibility, withdrawal of donor support, fractured community trust.

6. Credential Theft at Youth Organizations

• Example: Compromise of login credentials for sports club management software.

• Impact: Exposure of children’s personal data, heightened risks of exploitation.

7. Fake Websites Imitating Nonprofit Charities

• Example: Fraudulent “donation portals” during disaster relief campaigns (e.g., post-hurricane scams).

• Impact: Financial theft, reputational damage to legitimate aid groups.

8. Psychological Operations on Minority Communities

• Example: 2016 Russian IRA campaigns targeting African American social groups on Facebook.

• Impact: Increased polarization, voter suppression, community distrust.

9. Insider Threat in Small Nonprofits

• Example: Volunteer or staff member exfiltrates sensitive donor or beneficiary data.

• Impact: Breach of confidentiality, financial fraud, long-term trust erosion.

10. Cyberbullying/Harassment of Youth in Clubs

• Example: Targeted online harassment of martial arts club members via social media bots.

• Impact: Increased mental health risks, membership declines, weakened resilience of youth spaces.

How we can collectively help strengthen the community fabric

The Critical Social Infrastructure – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (CSI-ISAC) will serve as the trusted hub for community-serving organizations—nonprofits, social service providers, mental health professionals, religious institutions, notaries, youth clubs, and other grassroots entities—to share, analyze, and act on cyber, physical, and cognitive threat information. Its mission is to safeguard the resilience and foundation of the social fabric that underpins thriving communities.