- 10 May 2021 22:31
#15171748
Ransomware Cyber Attack on Colonial Fuel Pipeline
I think this article lays bare two important things the United States must start taking seriously:
I know the democrats want to address these issues. However, I am curious what kind of plan do the republicans have to address these issues? Anybody? Another question I have for republicans is if they are still in denial about the Russian state hacking of our elections and how they feel about the fact this hack appears to have been done by a Russian criminal group (though not the Russian state this time)?
Will republicans be in denial about this too and be negligent in defending our nation as well as ensure it has the infrastructure it needs to function and operate? Will the republicans remain in denial about these very serious threats to the defense of our nation as well as our economy? Do they even have a real plan?
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/10/politics ... index.html
I think this article lays bare two important things the United States must start taking seriously:
- Cybersecurity for the nation
- The need to upgrade our aging infrastructure
I know the democrats want to address these issues. However, I am curious what kind of plan do the republicans have to address these issues? Anybody? Another question I have for republicans is if they are still in denial about the Russian state hacking of our elections and how they feel about the fact this hack appears to have been done by a Russian criminal group (though not the Russian state this time)?
Will republicans be in denial about this too and be negligent in defending our nation as well as ensure it has the infrastructure it needs to function and operate? Will the republicans remain in denial about these very serious threats to the defense of our nation as well as our economy? Do they even have a real plan?
Zachary Cohen, Geneva Sands and Matt Egan of CNN wrote:One of the largest US fuel pipelines remained largely paralyzed Monday after a ransomware cyberattack forced the temporary shutdown of all operations late last week -- an incident that laid bare vulnerabilities in the country's aging energy infrastructure.
The victim of the attack, Colonial Pipeline is a company that transports more than 100 million gallons of gasoline and other fuel daily from Houston to the New York Harbor.
Over the weekend, the pipeline operator began working to develop a restart plan for its pipeline system, and was able to start operations for some of its ancillary lines. On Monday, Colonial acknowledged it will take time to restore all of its systems and said hopes to substantially restore operational service by the end of the week.
Here's what to know about the attack:
Ransomware locks out the rightful user of a computer or computer network and holds it hostage until the victim pays a fee. Ransomware gangs have also threatened to leak sensitive information in order to get victims to meet their demands.
The Colonial Pipeline attack comes amid rising concerns over the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in America's critical infrastructure following a spate of recent incidents, and after the Biden administration last month launched an effort to beef up cybersecurity in the nation's power grid, calling for industry leaders to install technologies that could thwart attacks on the electricity supply.
It follows a string of other ransomware attacks and other high-profile and deeply damaging cyber breaches, including the SolarWinds related supply chain breach and the Microsoft Exchange Server hack -- both tied to nation state actors.
While the latest incident is believed to be tied to a criminal group, it underscores the cybersecurity risk to critical infrastructure and threatens to impact gas prices ahead of the summer travel season.
Senior White House officials repeatedly said Monday their roles in addressing the latest ransomware incident were limited because Colonial Pipeline is a private company, even though it controls the gasoline supply to most of the eastern US.
"This weekend's events put the spotlight on the fact that our nation's critical infrastructure is largely owned and operated by private sector companies," said Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, the White House domestic security adviser. "When those companies are attacked, they serve as the first line of defense and we depend on the effectiveness of their defenses."
Anne Neuberger, the top official responsible for cybersecurity on the National Security Council, said Colonial Pipeline had not asked for "cyber-support" from the federal government but that federal officials were ready and "standing by" to provide assistance if asked.
The FBI confirmed Monday that a criminal group originating from Russia, named "DarkSide," is responsible for the Colonial pipeline cyberattack.
"The FBI confirms that the Darkside ransomware is responsible for the compromise of the Colonial Pipeline networks. We continue to work with the company and our government partners on the investigation," the FBI said in a statement.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/10/politics ... index.html
Last edited by Politics_Observer on 11 May 2021 00:22, edited 1 time in total.
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