Executive Summary from Fortinet - Not long ago, the operational technology (OT) networks used in environments such as factories and critical infrastructure were air-gapped, meaning they were not connected to the internet. But today, the once-siloed worlds of OT and information technology (IT) are seeing greater interconnectivity due to digital transformation and support for scarce or remote workers. This connectivity can enhance production via data sharing and new cloud-based tools that allow
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Multiple US and allied cybersecurity agencies have recently warned about an ongoing campaign by pro-Russia hacktivist groups to target and compromise operational technology (OT) systems across critical infrastructure sectors in North America and Europe. According to a new joint cybersecurity alert have been observed gaining remote access to small-scale industrial control systems used in water/wastewater, dams, energy, and food and agriculture by exploiting internet-exposed human-machine interfa
There are many factors affecting downtime that manufacturers must consider minimizing disruption to the production line. While unplanned maintenance is one of the main elements posing a risk to streamlined operations, another growing issue is cyber-attacks and ransomware.
Cyber security has long been a threat to industrial organizations, but the risk, and indeed incident rate, is growing. According to a report by cybersecurity technology specialists Dragos, ransomware attacks alone against ind
With supply chain attacks on the rise, and nation-state attackers constantly looking for new ways to disrupt national security and economic stability, one of the most vulnerable areas is the security around our maritime operations. The current US administration's recent Executive Order to fortify the cybersecurity of US ports underscores this concern, spotlighting the urgency of addressing vulnerabilities in a sector that drives over $5.4 trillion in economic activity annually. This initiative
The Colonial Pipeline ransomware infection has become a cautionary story about how ‘borking’ critical infrastructure can cause real-world pain, with fuel shortages leading to long lines and fistfights breaking out at gas stations. Or as Jen Easterly, boss of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, warned Congress recently, "Societal panic and chaos."
The CISA Director and other security and law enforcement chiefs stressed the reality in which nation-states operating against Ame
Hackers from the People's Republic of China spent up to five years in US networks as part of a cyber operation that targeted US critical infrastructure, law enforcement and international agencies said earlier this week. "The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assess that People's Republic of China (PRC) state sponsored cyber actors are seeking to preposition themselves on IT networks for disruptive o
The recent increase of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be a game-changer in many positive ways, even though we are still on the edge of its vast potential. New and previously unimaginable medical treatments, safer, cleaner and more integrated public transport, more rapid and accurate diagnoses, and environmental breakthroughs are all within the credible promise of AI today.
Both China and Russia have made no secret of their desire to “Win the AI race” with current and pledged investme
The Fortinet 2023 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report is their fifth annual study based on data from an in-depth worldwide survey of 570 OT professionals conducted by a respected third-party research company.
Protecting OT systems is now more critical than ever as more organizations connect their OT environments to the internet. Although IT/OT convergence has many benefits, it is being hampered and handicapped by advanced and destructive cyberthreats. The spillover of these
Researchers have uncovered malware designed to disrupt electric power transmission that may have been used by the Russian government in training exercises for creating or responding to cyberattacks on electric grids.
Known as CosmicEnergy, the malware has capabilities that are comparable to those found in malware known as Industroyer and Industroyer2, both of which have been widely attributed by researchers to Sandworm, the name of one of Russia’s most skilled and cutthroat hacking groups. Sand
Someone or some group is attacking the US electrical power grid. Specifically in the Seattle, WA area which comes after a series of similar incidents elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest as well as in Florida. And law enforcement has never caught the guy who attacked the electrical grid down in North Carolina earlier in December 2022. These were physical attacks which involved alleged shooting up power substation.[1] As evident, these are physical attacks, not even cyber-attacks.
Shooting with
Electricity, oil and gas and other critical infrastructure vital to any country’s day to day lives is increasingly at risk from cyber-attackers who know that successfully compromising industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) can enable them to disrupt or tamper with vital services. A report from cybersecurity company Dragos[1] details ten different hacking operations which are known to have actively targeted industrial systems in North America and Europe and its warned t
