In a bold move aimed at raising awareness and protest against the pro-Ukrainian stance of the Polish authorities, the notorious NoName hacking group launched a series of cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure in Poland. The group's motive was clear - to disrupt transportation services and infrastructure to show solidarity with Polish farmers' plight. Who is NoName hacking group and what is their motive?

Cybersecurity professionals often point out that threat actors do not differentiate when choosing a victim. To an attacker, a hospital is as useful a target as a law firm or even a mining operation. After all, a mining company has the same attributes that make it as interesting as any other target: proprietary data and customer information, and it must stay in operation. All of which an attacker can exploit for financial gain.

Have you ever considered that even before you enjoy the first sip of your favorite morning beverage, you have probably interacted with at least half of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors that keep a nation running? In one way or another, the simple act of brewing a cup of tea would probably not be possible without interacting with water, energy, manufacturing, food and agriculture, waste, transportation, and financial sectors.

Considered the "brain" of industrial automation, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are an important factor in industrial control systems (ICS), especially for critical infrastructure in the public sector. PLCs are an industrial computer used to control automated devices in a variety of industries, including industrial manufacturing and critical infrastructure. This article offers suggestions for PLC security risks, as well as cybersecurity standards for risk mitigation.

Earlier this month, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint warning that the hacking group known as “Volt Typhoon” has been lurking in US critical infrastructure systems for at least five years.

In the wake of recent cyber attacks against US water utilities, the vulnerability of local entities dependent on operational technology (OT) has been starkly highlighted. This danger was further emphasized last week when Congress held a hearing titled Securing Operational Technology: A Deep Dive into the Water Sector. Witnesses at the hearing painted a stark picture of the significant cybersecurity risks facing small utility companies today.

Tomorrow, February 6, 2024, the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on securing US water systems from cyberattacks. Following last year’s widely publicized attack on the municipal water system in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Congress, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and industry leaders have rightly increased their focus on the unique risks facing water systems across the country.

Network segmentation, software patching, and continual threats monitoring are key cybersecurity best practices for Industrial Control Systems (ICS). Although ICSs significantly improve health and safety by automating dangerous tasks, facilitating remote monitoring and control, and activating safety protocols in the case of emergency, they’re increasingly exposed to cybersecurity threats.

2023 saw two concerning attacks on public water systems, highlighting the fragility and risk to utility systems. In Pennsylvania, malicious hackers breached the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa system the night after Thanksgiving. The criminals were making a political statement: the technology used to manage water pressure was developed by Israel, and the criminals used this opportunity to choose a side in the ongoing conflict.

US federal agencies have teamed up to release a cybersecurity best practice guidance for the water and wastewater sector (WWS). The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have published the guide in an attempt to promote cybersecurity resilience and improve incident response in the WWS sector.