National Security Research·Cyber Threat Intelligence
Christopher Braccia is a cyber threat intelligence and national security researcher focused on nation-state operations against critical infrastructure, the communications sector, and the Indo-Pacific.
Research cited by the CTO of the UK National Cyber Security Centre, and syndicated by RealClearDefense, the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, and the Australian Centre for International Studies.
§ 01·Cited & Syndicated
§ 02·Selected Writing
How PRC-linked actors refined grey-zone cyber tactics across Vietnam and ASEAN, then turned the same playbook against Western critical infrastructure.
Cited by the CTO of the UK NCSC. Syndicated by RealClearDefense, ISEAS, and others. SSRN →
How Russia, and to a lesser degree China, are building Iran's cyber arsenal against critical infrastructure, traced across all sixteen U.S. sectors.
East West Strategic Research Collective. ResearchGate →
An assessment of Iran-linked cyber threats to U.S. and allied infrastructure, with a companion telecom risk advisory.
Working paper. ResearchGate →
Accountability and oversight for frontier AI deployed inside critical communications systems, and the function-based framework operators and regulators can build around.
Working paper. ResearchGate →
Subsea cables and LEO satellite ground stations have become a single convergent communications-risk domain, with AI accelerating both attack and defense across the seam between them.
AI-accelerated convergent failure in communications infrastructure. SSRN →
Why the moment calls for a cybersecurity reset, and a recommitment to the public-private partnerships that defend U.S. critical infrastructure.
USTelecom, with Robert Mayer and Brianna Bace. USTelecom →
How multiple state actors converge on strikingly similar critical-infrastructure tradecraft, and what the overlap reveals about intent.
East West Strategic Research Collective. ResearchGate →
How PRC operators are compressing the timeline from reconnaissance to effect — AI-accelerated tradecraft rehearsed against regional networks as pre-positioning for a 2027 Taiwan contingency.
East West Strategic Research Collective. ResearchGate →
A communications-sector risk advisory issued alongside the Iran Cyber Threat Brief: exposure, likely vectors, and concrete mitigations for U.S. and allied telecom operators.
The companion to the flagship paper: how Beijing treated Southeast Asia as a single, centrally directed proving ground, refining the edge-device and telecom tradecraft that later surfaced as Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon inside U.S. critical infrastructure.
§ 03·Work
Fellow, USTelecom, The Broadband Association
Directs member-facing working groups, intelligence programs, and flagship initiatives across USTelecom's cybersecurity portfolio.
Co-Chair, Working Committee, Communications Sector Coordinating Council
The recognized industry counterpart to DHS/CISA for communications sector security, operating in partnership under the CIPAC framework.
Chief of Staff, International Communications CISO Council
A council of communications-sector CISOs spanning five continents, coordinating cross-border threat intelligence and sector defense.
Principal Owner, East West Strategic Research Collective
Independent research and advisory firm focused on cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and the Indo-Pacific.
A free, open record of 3,500+ verified cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, mapped across all 16 CISA sectors and connected by actor, sector, and geography through an interactive Threat Atlas. Every incident traceable to source. Free for defenders; licensed enrichment for institutions.
16sectors.orgComprehensive platform for AI policy research, governance frameworks, and regulatory intelligence.
Developed for USTelecom
aipolicyatlas.orgReal-time tracking and analysis of critical supply chain vulnerabilities and disruptions.
Developed for USTelecom
supplychaintracker.orgEast West Strategic Research Collective
Independent research and advisory firm focused on cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and the Indo-Pacific.
ewsrc.org§ 04·Speaking
NYS Cybersecurity Conference, Albany, NY. With Robert Mayer and Brianna Bace.
InCyber Forum Europe, Lille, France. Critical infrastructure track.
Malaysia. Delegate.
NYS Cybersecurity Conference, Albany, NY. With Robert Mayer and Brianna Bace.
CyberSecAsia, Vietnam.
Malaysia. Delegate.
For speaking invitations and media inquiries, reach me at Cbraccia@protonmail.com. Bio, headshot, and a one-page Observatory overview are in the Press Kit →.
Invited / upcoming: InCyber Canada · InCyber Japan.
§ 05·About
Christopher Braccia is a cyber threat intelligence and national security researcher. He studies how nation-state actors target critical infrastructure, with particular focus on the communications sector and the Indo-Pacific. Much of his current work examines how PRC preparations toward a potential 2027 Taiwan contingency are shaping cyber pre-positioning inside allied critical infrastructure today — including, in his latest paper Algorithmic Siege, how AI is compressing that tradecraft to machine speed.
He has spent over twelve years based between Saigon and New York, which gives him a field perspective on the region where many campaigns against U.S. infrastructure are first tested. That vantage point, combined with direct work across seven of the sixteen U.S. critical infrastructure sectors, shapes how he reads emerging threats — a range that runs from the communications and IT sectors through to food and agriculture security work in New York's Hudson Valley.
He is Principal Owner of East West Strategic Research Collective and a Fellow at USTelecom, The Broadband Association, where he directs member-facing working groups and intelligence programs. He co-chairs a working committee within the communications sector's national coordinating body and serves as Chief of Staff of an international CISO council. He built and maintains The Observatory, a free open record of 3,500+ verified attacks across all 16 CISA critical infrastructure sectors.
§ 06·Press Kit
Everything a journalist or conference organizer needs, ready to download. No request required.
Christopher Braccia is a cyber threat intelligence and national security researcher focused on nation-state operations against critical infrastructure, the communications sector, and the Indo-Pacific. He is Principal Owner of East West Strategic Research Collective, a Fellow at USTelecom, and built The Observatory, a free record of 3,500+ verified critical-infrastructure attacks.
Christopher Braccia is a cyber threat intelligence and national security researcher. He studies how nation-state actors target critical infrastructure, with particular focus on the communications sector and the Indo-Pacific. Much of his current work examines how PRC preparations toward a potential 2027 Taiwan contingency are shaping cyber pre-positioning inside allied critical infrastructure today, including how AI is compressing that tradecraft to machine speed. He has spent over twelve years based between Saigon and New York, which gives him a field perspective on the region where many campaigns against U.S. infrastructure are first tested. That vantage point, combined with direct work across seven of the sixteen U.S. critical infrastructure sectors, shapes how he reads emerging threats. He is Principal Owner of East West Strategic Research Collective and a Fellow at USTelecom, The Broadband Association. He co-chairs a working committee within the communications sector's national coordinating body and serves as Chief of Staff of an international CISO council. He built and maintains The Observatory, a free open record of 3,500+ verified attacks across all 16 CISA critical infrastructure sectors.
High-resolution portrait, cleared for editorial use.
Download headshotFlagship paper
Braccia, Christopher. "From Vietnam to Volt Typhoon." SSRN, 2025. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5369661
The Observatory dataset
Braccia, Christopher. "The Observatory: A Cross-Sector Record of Critical Infrastructure Cyber Incidents." 2026. https://16sectors.org/
§ 07·Contact