The Colonial Pipeline company, which operates a fuel pipeline in the United States, had temporarily suspended its operations on May 7, 2021, declaring that it was targeted by ransomware. Cyber security company ESET drew attention to such attacks, stating that the attack on the Colonial fuel pipeline reminds us of the increasing cyber threats to critical infrastructures.
Cyber attacks on infrastructures are no longer a theory
While threats to physical infrastructure are still claimed to be exaggerated and largely theoretical, the list of attacked organizations and infrastructures is growing day by day. The aftershocks of the ransomware attack against the Colonial Pipeline by the DarkSide cybercriminal gang continue. While the Colonial Pipeline restarted its normal operations, it is stated that it paid close to $ 5 million in ransom to the gang. Investigation into the attack continues.
Electricity, water and communication infrastructures are also at the target of attackers
He stated that over the years, attackers had quietly searched for critical infrastructure targets, launching attacks against high-value targets. According to experts’ evaluations, attackers can enter without zero-day attacks. Although significant security efforts have been made by critical infrastructure operators in recent years, finding holes in security armor is still considered easy. It is stated that when electricity, water, fuel infrastructures or communication networks suddenly stop, why the security of critical infrastructure should be given importance, unfortunately, will emerge. While there are groups of serious tech experts who are stepping up their attempts to block ransomware, attackers can still be effective using legacy threats.