The Division of Homeland Safety on Tuesday introduced new necessities for U.S. pipeline operators to bolster cybersecurity following a ransomware assault in Might that disrupted fuel provides on the east coast.
In an announcement, the DHS stated it will require operators of government-designated crucial pipelines to take “particular mitigation measures” to stop ransomware assaults and different cyberattacks. Operators should additionally implement contingency plans and conduct what the division calls a “cybersecurity structure design evaluation”.
It’s the Biden administration’s latest response to a string of ransomware assaults and intrusions that hit crucial US infrastructures and lift issues about US cybersecurity.
The DHS didn’t instantly launch additional particulars on the steering, which was launched after one other steering launched weeks after the Might 7 assault on the Georgia Colonial Pipeline. This assault resulted within the shutdown of a system that provides about 45% of the gasoline consumed on the east coast, inflicting lengthy traces and fuel shortages in a number of states.
Colonial paid an estimated $ 4.4 million ransom, most of which was ultimately confiscated by the Justice Division. The FBI blames a gang of hackers primarily based in Russia that makes use of DarkSide, a variant of ransomware, for the assault.
The Biden authorities has repeatedly accused Russia of offering secure haven for felony gangs and of making an attempt to steal authorities businesses and personal organizations in varied sectors. It sanctioned a variety of actions, together with hacking, in April.
Russia has broadly denied involvement in cyberattacks on US establishments, rejecting “baseless allegations” in an announcement final month.
