“The biggest U.S. gasoline pipeline will not resume full operations for several more days due to a ransomware cyberattack… The FBI attributed the cyberattack to DarkSide, a group believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe.” (Reuters)
On Monday, President Joe Biden stated, “So far, there is no evidence based on — from our intelligence people that Russia is involved. Although there is evidence that the actors — ransomware — is in Russia. They have some responsibility to deal with this.” White House
Both sides worry about the ongoing risk of cyberattacks:
“The fact that an apparent group of cyber pirates -- a secret criminal nerd syndicate -- can take down the aorta of fuel for the East Coast should be sending shockwaves through the country. We've all read this year about the pandemic threatening supply chains and about climate change causing more freak weather that threatens power grids. Meanwhile, hackers have also gotten more brazen, locking companies key to the US infrastructure…
“This week it's Colonial Pipeline. But it's been hospital systems. Cities. Schools. Everything from the city of Atlanta to the DC Police Department has been hit by ransomware. And while they can't be tied in all or even most cases to foreign governments, that should not distract us from the fact that the US appears to be under attack.” (Zachary B. Wolf, CNN)
“In 2007, the former Soviet republic of Estonia became the first country to be the target of a national cyber attack with Russia as the perpetrator. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, cyberattacks were part of Vladimir Putin’s arsenal. The attacks on Ukraine included taking control of electrical grids and shutting them down to cause blackouts…
“Today an aggressor would not have to launch a nuclear EMP attack to switch off America’s electricity. It would only require a coordinated attack on the electrical grids that supply us with power. This is a threat that should be taken very seriously, especially since the Russians have a history of testing this sort of warfare.” (David Thornton, Racket News)
.png.webp)
