“This interruption of the distribution of refined gasoline and jet fuel underscores the vulnerability of our national critical infrastructure in cyberspace and the need for effective cybersecurity defenses, including a robust public-private collaboration to protect both the pipeline system and electric grid, as well as the infrastructure of the telecommunications and financial services systems,” King and Gallagher said.
Threats to critical infrastructure have built steadily in recent years, and over the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic have spiked, particularly as more work is done remotely and online.
Both nation states and cyber criminals have increasingly turned to ransomware as the weapon of choice to pressure organizations, including hospitals and schools, to pay large sums to decrypt their networks.