SureShield and BorderHawk Release Industry-Level Cyber Risk Report on the U.S. Telecommunications Sector

SureShield and BorderHawk Cybersecurity have released a comprehensive report titled "The State of U.S. Telecommunications: Cyber Risk in a Critical-Infrastructure Sector" to evaluate systemic vulnerabilities. The analysis reveals that 65.5% of the 3,106 telecommunications providers reviewed sit in an elevated cyber risk band, indicating a widespread resilience challenge across the industry. This assessment is vital for the sector as telecommunications serves as the foundational layer for other critical infrastructure, including emergency services, healthcare, and financial systems.

SureShield and BorderHawk Cybersecurity have launched an industry-level report examining cyber risk indicators across the U.S. telecommunications sector using publicly available, non-intrusive data. The study reviewed 3,106 operators and developed in-depth profiles for 2,132 providers, finding that 65.5% of those analyzed fall into an elevated cyber risk category. This data suggests that cyber risk is a broad industry resilience issue rather than a problem limited to a few small outliers, highlighting the need for sector-wide awareness and improved operational planning.

The report identifies several well-documented and addressable technical indicators as the primary drivers of this elevated risk, including CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities and dangling DNS configurations found across the industry. Other significant contributors to vulnerability include weak DMARC and SPF email authentication, improper public-facing service configurations, and the continued use of outdated web components. By focusing on these specific areas, the report provides a practical resilience benchmark for organizations to mitigate their risk exposure through relatively straightforward remediation steps.

Jay Harmon, CEO of BorderHawk, underscored the importance of these findings by noting that telecommunications is the layer upon which all other critical infrastructure—such as public safety, energy, and government operations—relies. Sanjaya Kumar, CEO of SureShield, added that this first-of-its-kind report not only identifies systemic trends but also offers actionable insights for an industry that is a core component of national infrastructure. The findings are intended to facilitate board-level discussions and policy engagement to strengthen the overall security posture of the U.S. telecom market.