About us

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 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.

Our Commitment 

CIS operates as a mission driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to making the connected world a safer place. Our employees adhere to our Code of Ethics, Leadership Principles, and Code of Conduct, consistent with our collaborative, nonpartisan, vendor-agnostic operating model. These values guide our decisions and actions and build trust in our capabilities, enabling us to achieve our mission.

The CIS Vision

Leading the global community to secure our ever-changing connected world.

The CIS Mission

Our mission is to make the connected world a safer place by developing, validating, and promoting timely best practice solutions that help people, businesses, and governments protect themselves against pervasive cyber threats.

CIS Funding

CIS receives funding through various means, including direct sales of various cybersecurity best practices tools and resources, like CIS SecureSuite Membership and CIS Hardened Images, and cybersecurity services like CIS Endpoint Security Services. CIS also receives funding from various government and non-profit grant programs designed to improve the overall cybersecurity posture of U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government organizations. CIS operates the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) in a cost-share model including federal funding and CIS funds.. Information about CIS funding through a Cooperative Agreement with Congressional  federal fiscal year 2023 appropriations can be found here (page 57-58 addresses the MS-ISAC).

25 Years of Creating Confidence in the Connected World

Twenty-five years ago, business and social use of the internet surged – and so did cybersecurity threats. Many organizations were exposed, lacking sufficient resources or expertise to defend themselves. Experts from government agencies, private sector innovation labs, and top security institutions came together as a community to shares ideas and labor to directly address these threats. Their efforts resulted in the creation of the Center for Internet Security (CIS).

Learn more about CIS’s 25 years of history