In the event of a larger conflict between Russia and Ukraine, US officials are concerned that transportation networks and broadcast media in Ukraine could be shut down by kinetic or cyberattacks, Matthew Hackner, an official in DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis, said on Tuesday’s phone briefing, according to people on the call.
Tech Transactions & Data Privacy 2022 Report
The ongoing ransomware threat continued to capture headlines in 2021, with sophisticated attacks shutting down key sectors of the U.S. economy. A stepped-up federal response, drawing upon public and private sector resources, has been rolled out by the Biden Administration.
In a successful ransomware attack, criminals (typically referred to by privacy professionals as “threat actors”) begin their attack by quietly finding a virtual open door into a victim’s computer network, such as a vulnerability in the victim’s remote connection tools. Once inside, the threat actors move about the victim’s network undetected, learning as much as they can about the network’s configurations and, in many cases, where “monetizable” or other valuable or irreplaceable information is stored. After surreptitiously extending their reach to as much of the victim’s network as possible, the threat actors often steal a copy of data identified as valuable, just before deploying malware that causes all files within its reach to be rendered unreadable (i.e., to be “encrypted”). The threat actors typically drop a virtual ransom note on affected devices, declaring to the victim that it has been attacked and instructing the victim to contact the threat actor and make payment if it (1) ever wants to see its data again, (2) ever wants to re-start or unencrypt frozen data or systems, and/or (3) does not want its sensitive data published on the Dark Web. Although scenarios and outcomes can vary widely, the threat actor is typically motivated by financial gain and has done enough reconnaissance of the victim to understand the types of disruptions and economic loss that can be imposed or threatened to secure such gain.
Ransomware reached the front pages in 2021 and stayed there through two major attacks that caused harm far beyond the targeted company. The oil and gas sector led the way in May 2021 when threat actors shut down operations at Colonial Pipeline – one of the…
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Joe Biden has warned Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky that an invasion by Russian forces in February is a “distinct possibility” despite ongoing diplomatic talks.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin continues to “study” the U.S. response to Russia’s security demands – chiefly the expansion of NATO forces in Eastern Europe and the possibility of membership for Ukraine.
By Sean Lyngaas, CNN
The Biden administration will help deliver cyber defense technologies and threat intelligence to US water utilities to try to bolster security for a sector that is often short of cash and personnel to deal with hacking threats, officials announced Thursday.
The “100-day” plan to increase cybersecurity resources for some of America’s 150,000 public water systems comes a year after a hacker breached a Florida water treatment facility and temporarily changed the plant’s chemical setting to a potentially dangerous level.
The incident at the Tampa-area facility did not cause any harm, but it spurred a heightened focus on the sector’s vulnerabilities among federal officials and the water industry.
“There is absolutely inadequate cyber resilience across the water sector” to criminal and state-sponsored hackers, a senior administration told reporters in previewing the announcement.
The water security initiative will first focus on defenses at the water systems that serve the most people and then expand to smaller facilities, officials said.
The Environmental Protection Agency and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will invite water utilities to a pilot program to deploy more sophisticated defensive tools on their systems, officials said. Data from the pilot program — and input from water utilities already using such technology — will be the basis of training and guidance that federal officials provide the sector.
The initiative follows similar “100-day plans” that the Biden administration has done to boost cybersecurity in the electricity and natural gas sectors.
The water security initiative is voluntary. Whereas, in other cases, federal agencies can regulate pipelines and electric utilities, they have very limited authority to impose cybersecurity rules on water utilities.
The stakes are high.
“Cyberattacks represent an increasing threat to water systems and thereby the safety and security of our communities,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement.
The water sector, like other critical infrastructure, has to contend with ransomware attacks and the potential for…