Increasing Cyber Attacks On Critical Infrastructure

Uploaded on 2023-04-11 in NEWS-News Analysis, FREE TO VIEW

In the digital world, we’re no longer restricted by borders for business collaboration, but this electronic freedom is also increasing the number and scale of cyberattacks and offers massive potential for cyber criminals to deliver ransomware.

Cyber attacks don't just affect the virtual world; they can have concerning real-world consequences for everyone, and a recent incident seemingly involving a near miss has demonstrated just how disruptive they can be.

Critical infrastructure systems like those driving power generation, water treatment, electricity production and other platforms are interconnected to form the energy “grid”. Although beneficial to the public this grid is vulnerable to cyber attack by "hacktivists" or terrorists.

When Russia launched its failed invasion of Ukraine a year ago, the number of online attacks against targets in Ukraine or with links to the country simultaneously began to skyrocket, according to Oleksandr Potii, the deputy chairman of Ukraine’s Special Communication and Information Protection Service. Ukrainian authorities later traced most of those cyber attacks back to state actors with ties to Moscow, Potii said. "While some of the attacks were performed by cyber criminals, they were often still coordinated by special services."

Critical infrastructure, like power generation and distribution, is becoming more complex and reliant on networks of connected devices. Just decades ago, power grids and other critical infrastructure operated in isolation. Now they are far more interconnected, both in terms of geography and across sectors.

If the critical infrastructure is disrupted, the impact is significant. In some cases, such cyber attacks on critical infrastructure have become another means of modern warfare. But unlike classic warfare, in these conflicts civilians and businesses are in the front line and become the targets.

Just a handful of recent prominent examples include North Korea attempting to hack the SWIFT network to steal more than $1 billion. Not to mention the infamous Colonial Pipeline attack, which has become the poster child of critical infrastructure attacks.

Yet the goal of the attacks could vary. While some are indeed a way to prepare for future conflicts by testing capabilities and defences, others might be motivated by financial gains, an attempt to steal data, gaining remote access or control, or disrupting and destructing services.

How Critical Infrastructure is Attacked

There are a few types of attacks used on critical infrastructure. The main ones are DDOS, ransomware (through spear phishing), vulnerability exploitation, and supply chain attacks. Some of these techniques are harder to stop because they target humans and not technologies.

Supply chain attacks are a key way to attack critical infrastructure. Just like bombings in WW2 targeted factories that provided supplies to the military, supply chain cyber attacks target the nation's critical infrastructure suppliers.

How to Protect Critical Infrastructure

One of the misconceptions of cyber security is that the more security products are employed, the better the security. But layered security that is made up of too many products could be counter-productive.

The Role of CISA

The potential severity of attacks on critical infrastructure has driven nations to establish a cyber defence organisation to defend their critical assets, and prepare for conflicts. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the natioanal risk advisor. They provide support and strategic assistance to the critical infrastructure sectors, with a focus on Federal network protection. By partnering with private sector partners and the academy, they are able to provide proactive cyber protection.

Some of the key areas CISA focus on are coordinating and communicating cyber incident information and response to provide support, securing the dot-gov domain, assisting in protecting the dot-comdomain to help the private sector, assisting in securing critical infrastructure, and painting a common operational picture for cyberspace.

One of the programs CISA is leading is the Cybersecurity Advisor Program which provides education and training for cyber security awareness.

The advisors can help organisations by evaluating critical infrastructure cyber risk, encouraging best practices and risk mitigation strategies, initiating, developing capacity and supporting cyber communities and working groups, raising awareness, collecting stakeholder requirements and bringing incident support and the lessons learned.

DW: Cato Networks: Hacker News: AGCS Allianz: MakeUseOf: ZDNet:

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