Center for Internet Security Recognized with 2026 IACP Homeland Security Award Nomination

ORLANDO, FL., October 28, 2026 — The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS®) was nominated for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) 2026 Leadership in Homeland Security Award in recognition of its work developing Countering Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance: Facts, Findings, and Recommendations for Law Enforcement. The nomination recognizes CIS's efforts, in collaboration with the Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Units (LEIU) and Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), to address emerging surveillance threats that pose significant risks to law enforcement personnel, sensitive investigations, and public safety operations. This effort reflects CIS's continued commitment to prioritizing collaboration with law enforcement and public safety partners to address emerging threats and strengthen security nationwide.

Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance (UTS) refers to the ability to collect, combine, and analyze information from a wide range of digital and physical sources to identify, monitor, and track individuals and their activities. Criminal organizations, violent extremists, and foreign adversaries can exploit these capabilities to expose law enforcement personnel, compromise investigations, and undermine operational security.

Recognizing the need to raise awareness of this emerging threat and provide practical guidance, CIS convened a national working group of law enforcement, intelligence, and cybersecurity professionals to examine the risks and identify steps agencies can take to reduce their exposure. Developed in partnership with LEIU and MCSA, the resulting report helps law enforcement agencies better understand UTS, recognize potential vulnerabilities, and implement practical measures to protect personnel, sensitive information, and operations.

"This nomination reflects the importance of addressing threats that increasingly cross the boundaries between cybersecurity, intelligence, and physical security," said John Cohen, Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Programs & Initiatives at CIS. "Working alongside LEIU, MCSA, and law enforcement professionals from across the country, we developed practical guidance to help agencies better understand these risks and take steps to protect their personnel and operations. We appreciate IACP’s consideration of this initiative for the 2026 Leadership in Homeland Security Award and the opportunity to highlight this collaborative effort."

The report examines how commercially available data, connected devices, mobile technologies, social media, and other surveillance capabilities can be exploited to identify and track law enforcement personnel and activities. It also offers recommendations for agencies to incorporate into existing cybersecurity practices, operational security procedures, training, and policies.

The initiative reflects CIS's broader commitment to helping state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement and public safety partners address threats that span the cyber and physical domains. By bringing together national law enforcement associations and technical experts, CIS helped translate complex surveillance risks into practical measures that agencies of varying sizes and capabilities can implement.

The IACP Leadership in Homeland Security Award recognizes contributions to strengthening homeland security through leadership, innovation, and collaboration. CIS's nomination highlights the value of partnerships in identifying emerging threats, sharing expertise, and developing resources that support law enforcement and public safety nationwide.

Read the report: Countering Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance: Facts, Findings, and Recommendations for Law Enforcement

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About CIS

The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS®) makes the connected world a safer place for people, businesses, and governments through our core competencies of collaboration and innovation. We are a community-driven nonprofit, responsible for the CIS Critical Security Controls® and CIS Benchmarks™, globally recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data. We lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve these standards and provide products and services to proactively safeguard against emerging threats. Our CIS Hardened Images® provide secure, on-demand, scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center® (MS-ISAC®), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities. To learn more, visit cisecurity.org or follow us on X: @CISecurity.