PORTAGE, MI – The Tribal Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Tribal-ISAC) released its first-ever report, The Pulse – The State of Cybersecurity Within Tribal Nations, during the Annual TribalNet Conference and Tradeshow in early September. The report was produced by the Tribal-ISAC with assistance from TribalHub, and features cybersecurity insights, trends and more gathered from three key sources: Tribal-ISAC’s 2025 “Tribal Cybersecurity” Survey, TribalHub’s “How Prepared is Your Tribe for AI?” Survey, and Gate 15’s CHIEF and NATIVE Reports.
“The Pulse provides something we’ve never had before – data-driven insight into the real cyber risks facing tribal nations,” said Adam Gruszcynski, Steering Committee Member, Tribal-ISAC and IT Director at Potawatomi Casino Hotel. “It gives leaders the ability to benchmark, prioritize, and advocate for the resources they need to protect their sovereignty.”
Data from The Pulse reflects what the Tribal-ISAC has observed in recent years: tribal governments; gaming and hospitality properties; and enterprises are demonstrating a growing commitment to cybersecurity. However, most tribes continue to operate with small information technology teams. Key statistics reported in The Pulse, include:
- Over two-thirds report zero or only one dedicated cybersecurity staff member, despite facing similar regulatory pressures as larger entities.
- Budget allocations remain modest, with over 60% dedicating less than 20% of their technology budget to cybersecurity.
- 73% of respondents anticipate increased cybersecurity spending in 2026, and only 1% expect a decrease, signaling a shift toward resilience and threat mitigation.
- 74% of organizations received no federal or state cybersecurity grants in 2025.
“By sharing these findings, we hope to raise awareness of the underlying risk factors that compromise tribal cyber resilience and collective solutions that strengthen cybersecurity for all tribal governments and enterprises,” said Toni Pepper, Steering Committee Member, Tribal-ISAC.
