- Colorado energy company loses 25 years of data after cyberattack while still rebuilding network
December 2, 2021
Colorado’s Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) is still struggling to recover from a devastating cyberattack last month that took down 90% of its internal systems and caused 25 years of historical data to be lost. In an update sent to customers this week, the company said it expects to be able to begin accepting payments through its ...
- Queensland government energy generator hit by ransomware
November 30, 2021
Queensland government-owned energy generator CS Energy said on Tuesday it was responding to a ransomware incident that occurred over the weekend. First reported by Energy Source & Distribution, the company said the incident has not impacted electricity generation at Callide and Kogan Creek power station, and it was looking to restore its network. ANZ regional director at ...
- Wind turbine maker Vestas confirms recent security incident was ransomware
November 29, 2021
Wind turbine maker Vestas says “almost all” of its IT systems are finally up and running 10 days after a security attack by criminals, confirming that it had indeed fallen victim to ransomware. Alarm bells rang the weekend before last when the Danish organisation said it had identified a “cyber security incident” and closed off parts ...
- 2 US defense officials say Israel hacked Iran’s gas system in late October
November 27, 2021
Israel carried out a cyber attack against Iran’s nationwide fuel system last month, two United States defense officials told the New York Times in a report published Saturday. Days later, Iran-affiliated hackers breached an Israeli LGBTQ dating site and released details of its users in a cyber attack that roiled Israel. The exchange points to a new ...
- Meet Lyceum: Iranian hackers targeting telecoms, ISPs
November 9, 2021
Researchers have provided a deep dive into the activities of Lyceum; an Iranian threat group focused on infiltrating the networks of telecoms companies and internet service providers (ISPs). Lyceum, also known as Hexane, Siamesekitten, or Spirlin, has been active since 2017. The advanced persistent threat (APT) group has been linked to campaigns striking Middle Eastern oil ...
- Mobile phishing attacks targeting energy sector surge by 161%
November 3, 2021
Mobile phishing attacks targeting employees in the energy industry have risen by 161% compared to last year’s (H2 2020) data, and the trend is showing no signs of slowing down. Although the perils of outdated and vulnerable devices plague all sectors, a new report by cybersecurity firm Lookout indicates that energy is the most targeted, followed ...
- India Releases Cybersecurity Guidelines for Power Sector
October 22, 2021
The Indian Government’s Power Ministry and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) recently released cybersecurity guidelines to enhance the power sector’s cybersecurity readiness. It is the first time that cybersecurity guidelines are created for the sector. CEA, under the “Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid) (Amendment) Regulations, 2019”, framed the guidelines. Moreover, all ...
- New APT ChamelGang Targets Russian Energy, Aviation Orgs
October 1, 2021
A new APT group has emerged that’s specifically targeting the fuel and energy complex and aviation industry in Russia, exploiting known vulnerabilities like Microsoft Exchange Server’s ProxyShell and leveraging both new and existing malware to compromise networks. Researchers at security firm Positive Technologies have been tracking the group, dubbed ChamelGang for its chameleon-like capabilities, since March. ...
- The state of ransomware: national emergencies and million-dollar blackmail
September 14, 2021
Banks have been “disproportionately affected” by a surge in ransomware attacks, clocking a 1,318% increase year-on-year in 2021. Ransomware has become one of the most well-known and prevalent threats against the enterprise today. This year alone, we have seen high-profile cases of ransomware infection — including against Colonial Pipeline, Kaseya, and Ireland’s health service — cause ...
- API Releases New Standard for Pipeline Control Systems
August 30, 2021
On August 18, 2021, the American Petroleum Institute (API) released the third edition of Standard 1164, Pipeline Control Systems Cybersecurity. The edition has been in development since 2017—a result of expert input from over 70 organizations, including the US’s Department of Energy, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the American Gas Association. “The new edition API ...
- How Pipeline Owners and Operators Can Fulfill the TSA’s Second Security Directive
August 12, 2021
Senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), of which the TSA is a part, announced at the time of their security directive that they would soon require pipeline organizations to implement a new set of mandatory security controls or face financial penalties. In mid-July, CISA announced the rollout of at least some of those ...
- DHS Announces New Cybersecurity Requirements for Critical Pipeline Owners and Operators
July 20, 2021
WASHINGTON – Today, in response to the ongoing cybersecurity threat to pipeline systems, DHS’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the issuance of a second Security Directive that requires owners and operators of TSA-designated critical pipelines that transport hazardous liquids and natural gas to implement a number of urgently needed protections against cyber intrusions. “The lives and ...
- Saudi Aramco data breach sees 1 TB stolen data for sale
July 19, 2021
Attackers have stolen 1 TB of proprietary data belonging to Saudi Aramco and are offering it for sale on the darknet. The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, better known as Saudi Aramco, is one of the largest public petroleum and natural gas companies in the world. The oil giant employs over 66,000 employees and brings in almost $230 ...
- Oil & Gas Targeted in Year-Long Cyber-Espionage Campaign
July 8, 2021
A sophisticated campaign targeting large international companies in the oil and gas sector has been underway for more than a year, researchers said, spreading common remote access trojans (RATs) for cyber-espionage purposes. According to Intezer analysis, spear-phishing emails with malicious attachments are used to drop various RATs on infected machines, including Agent Tesla, AZORult, Formbook, Loki ...
- North Korean Kimsuky hacking group allegedly behind breach of South Korean nuclear institute
June 21, 2021
A North Korean hacking group with a history of high-profile attacks against South Korea allegedly breached the network of South Korea’s state-run nuclear research institute last month. Representative Ha Tae-keung of the People Power Party, South Korea’s main opposition party, claimed 13 unauthorised IP addresses accessed the internal network of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) ...
- Fake DarkSide Campaign Targets Energy and Food Sectors
June 18, 2021
The ransomware attack on the major fuel supply company Colonial Pipeline recently made headlines. The incident has been attributed to the DarkSide threat actor, once again thrusting the group’s name into the spotlight. With this, it would not be surprising to find threat actors taking advantage of this incident for their own socially-engineered campaigns. Several companies ...
- Biden gave Putin list of 16 critical infrastructure entities ‘off limits’ to cyberattacks
June 17, 2021
President Biden told reporters Wednesday he gave President Vladimir Putin a list of 16 critical infrastructure entities that are “off limits” to a Russian cyberattack. Those entities include energy, water, health care, emergency, chemical, nuclear, communications, government, defense, food, commercial facilities, IT, transportation, dams, manufacturing and financial services. “We’ll find out whether we have a cybersecurity arrangement ...
- Utilities ‘Concerningly’ at Risk from Active Exploits
June 14, 2021
The amount of time that utility networks spend exposed to a known application exploit has spiked over the past two months — something analysts called out as a “concerning datapoint,” and an important reminder that ransomware isn’t the only threat utility networks need to secure against. A new report from WhiteHat Security measured the amount of ...
- Key Considerations for the Department of Energy on Defending the Bulk Power Grid
June 10, 2021
On January 20, President Joseph Biden issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13990 to help protect U.S. bulk power organizations. This Order enacted a 90-day suspension of E.O. 13920 which was set by the previous administration. The new executive order empowered the Secretary of Energy (“Secretary”) to publish new criteria around pre-qualifying vendors of electric equipment, as ...
- FBI Claws Back Millions of DarkSide’s Ransom Profits
June 7, 2021
United States law enforcement has clawed back approximately $2.3 million of the ransom allegedly paid to DarkSide by Colonial Pipeline last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI announced in a joint press conference on Monday. “Today we turned the tables on DarkSide,” FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said in live-streamed remarks. They seized the money ...
