Cybersecurity Insiders’ Post

The New Geopolitical Weapon: The Impact of Cyberattacks Against Critical Infrastructure https://lnkd.in/ee9SeMzu Electricity, transportation, water, communications – these are just some of the systems and assets that keep the world functioning. Critical infrastructure, a complex interconnected ecosystem, is what props entire countries up and is vital for the functioning of society and the economy. This is why it is under attack. Threat actors, usually nation-state backed, know this very well. By taking down the poorly protected power grid of a city or even a country, cyber attackers cannot only cause mass chaos, but any threat to the critical infrastructure sectors could have potentially debilitating national security, economic and public health or safety […]

We are proud to join forces with Genesis Systems® (USA) - Water Your Way, their expertise in addressing water scarcity, supply-side water issues, and green energy solutions with our post-quantum cybersecurity solution, which utilizes #cryptoagility. Our joint efforts will create versatile and secure systems to safeguard the critical nexus of water, energy, and food. The director of the National Security Agency (NSA) has noted bad actors attacking and preparing for attacks on U.S. domestic water systems. These are not military targets, the will of the civilian population is becoming the target. “We are proud to integrate our #postquantumcryptography (PQC) solution that enables crypto-agility, which is fast becoming the new Department of Defense benchmark for encryption management, into Genesis Systems’ technology formats. As state and non-state actors increasingly target water systems and critical infrastructure, security and sustainability are paramount.” - Dave Krauthamer, Co-Founder and CEO at QuSecure. Read more about our Strategic Alliance with Genesis - https://lnkd.in/gMhjm5Qa

If you haven't taken critical infrastructure security seriously yet, this should be a wake-up call: China has targeted dozens of oil pipeline entities since 2011, and more recently has conducted broad targeting of U.S. companies in the water, energy, and telecom sectors in order to "pre-position" for future disruptive attacks.

Critical National Infrastructure organizations rely heavily on outdated legacy systems and is one of the most prized targets for cybercriminals globally. With threats coming from a nation-state level, threat actors look to undermine democracy and pursue economic gain through attacks which often threaten physical safety and even loss of life. In Kate O'Flaherty’s recent article in ITPro, our COO Stephen Kines explains that such legacy CNI systems were "Designed without security in mind, [and such] antiquated infrastructure often lacks the capability for vulnerability patches or straightforward upgrades, leaving them exposed to modern #cyberthreats", and highlighting the importance of investing in network segmentation and keeping systems offline to reduce the threat. https://lnkd.in/eihcGdpW #NATODIANA #NCSCForStartups #MadeInUK

This article reminds me of all the articles, professional webinars, and meetings I attended pre-2019 on pandemic awareness and response. It was interesting during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic when news and government entities would say the pandemic was "Unforeseeable", "Black Swan", ect. I found those comments interesting given how much information I had seen about it prior to late 2019. Even the WEF and UN did a detailed war gaming for global pandemics in 2018 and 2019. Given all the attention to electric utility attacks, specifically cyber. As noted in this article that over 90 known attacks in just the first quarter of 2023. I think we should all be watching out for our community infrastructure in coming months. The next question being: is your household ready? Is your business ready? https://lnkd.in/g8BTKDyz

Critical infrastructure sustained more than 420 million cyberattacks between January 2023 and January 2024, a rise of 30% from the previous year. Physical frameworks such as power grids, transportation, and communications networks are particularly at risk due to the disruption any failures would cause. Attacks on infrastructure have the potential to cripple the daily lives of millions, with hospitals and businesses at risk, as well as millions left without access to bank accounts or power. The number of attacks on utilities has quadrupled since 2020. The infrastructure of over 160 countries was targeted, with the primary target being the US, followed by the UK, Germany, India, and Japan. The threat actors reportedly most often originated from China, Russia, and Iran. (Via TechRadar and KnowBe4) #nationalsecurity #infrastructuresecurity #energysector #energysecurity #watersector #financialsector #natsec #globalinfrastructure #criticalinfrastructure

In today's interconnected world, the security of our critical infrastructures is more important than ever. The electrical grid, supply chains, water systems, ports, and other vital components are the backbone of our society. A breach in any of these areas could lead to catastrophic consequences, affecting not just the immediate area, but potentially having a ripple effect across the nation and even globally. **How prepared are we to defend against and respond to a potential attack on our critical infrastructures?**#CriticalInfrastructure #Resilience #Security #APUS

Submarine cables are the unseen arteries of global connectivity, and their security is of paramount importance. With the increasing reliance on digital infrastructure and the growing threats they face, it is essential to prioritise the protection of these critical assets.

Translated from agency cyber-speak, this means that the federal agencies think that Volt Typhoon actors (who the government says are Chinese state-sponsored hackers) are pre-positioning malicious software packages in the digital systems of critical infrastructure providers—like the electric grid—with the expectation that those packages could then be moved laterally to actual operating systems—like the industrial control systems that manage the transmission of electricity across the network. It also means that the Chinese actors are, in the federal government’s judgment, not just scouting around within the systems; they are apparently planning to create disruptive effects if real-world events warrant it.

Something to think about..."Critical infrastructure is a category that goes far beyond the list of usual suspects like dams, pipelines, and the power grid. It includes organizations like hospitals, air and sea ports facilities, transportation and logistics operations, telecommunications, large industrial concerns, major financial services networks, and other organizations that, if take offline, would risk physical harm or disruption of economic activity." With stakes this high, nearly every industry is a target and threat actors are casting the net widely. That's why the unique, proactive components of IronNet's Collective Defense are so impactful. Message me to learn more. #collectivedefense #threatintel #earlywarning #cybersecurity https://lnkd.in/ekpGhC72