All Articles Tagged with Infrastructure
Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing on Pipeline Reliability Bill
The Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, December 7, at 10:30 a.m. (EST) entitled “Securing our Energy Infrastructure: Legislation to Enhance Pipeline Reliability.” The committee and subcommittee chairs released a joint statement highlighting the importance of pipeline security and reliability in the wake of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, and the failure of Texas’ natural gas infrastructure during a winter storm. The congressmen proposed creating a new entity charged with developing enforceable pipeline reliability standards, including cybersecurity, similar to the electric sector [1]. This hearing builds on a DHS Security Directive issued on July 20, 2021, mandating cybersecurity measures for critical pipelines transporting hazardous liquids and natural gas [2]. We recommend that parties in the pipeline industry and industrial cybersecurity sector stay abreast of the hearing and potential legislation. Increased government regulation of critical pipelines offers increased opportunities for those industrial cybersecurity firms positioned to provide essential services.
Mandiant Releases Information About UNC2190 Ransomware Group
Mandiant released details about the UNC2190 ransomware group, also called Sabbath, Arcane, or Eruption. UNC2190 has been targeting critical infrastructure in both the US and Canada. Targeted sectors include health, education, and natural resources. This threat actor uses a complex extortion model where ransomware deployments are limited, but data is stolen in large amounts as they actively try to destroy backups [1]. We recommend that critical infrastructure sectors continuously backup their data and exercise incident response plans. For more information on contingency planning, refer to NIST SP 800-34 [2].