- Oil and Gas Cybersecurity: Industry Overview Part 1
August 8, 2022
The oil and gas industry is no stranger to major cybersecurity attacks, attempting to disrupt operations and services. Most of the best understood attacks against the oil industry are initial attempts to break into the corporate networks of oil companies. Geopolitical tensions can cause major changes not only in physical space, but also in cyberspace. In ...
- BlackCat ransomware claims attack on European gas pipeline
August 1, 2022
The ALPHV ransomware gang, aka BlackCat, claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against Creos Luxembourg S.A. last week, a natural gas pipeline and electricity network operator in the central European country. Creos’ owner, Encevo, who operates as an energy supplier in five EU countries, announced on July 25 that they had suffered a cyberattack the previous weekend, ...
- A hacker group said it has broken into the Israeli electricity network
June 16, 2022
A hacker group identifying itself as the “Moses Staff” said it has broken into the Israeli electricity network, vowing to plunge the regime into darkness. The group said on Wednesday it had targeted the Israel Electric Corporation, the largest supplier of electrical power in the occupied territories, as well as Dorad Energy Ltd., which serves customers ...
- Ukraine’s secret cyber-defense that blunts Russian attacks: excellent backups
June 8, 2022
The Kremlin-backed cyberattack against satellite communications provider Viasat, which happened an hour before Russia invaded Ukraine, was “one of the biggest cyber events that we have seen, perhaps ever, and certainly in warfare,” according to Dmitri Alperovitch, a co-founder of CrowdStrike and chair of security-centric think tank Silverado Policy Accelerator. Alperovitch shared that opinion during a ...
- US govt grants academics $12M to develop cyberattack defense tools
April 22, 2022
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it will provide $12 million in funding to six university teams to develop defense and mitigation tools to protect US energy delivery systems from cyberattacks. Cybersecurity tools developed as a result of the six university-led research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects will focus on detecting, blocking, and ...
- Ukraine says it thwarted Russian cyberattack on electricity grid
April 12, 2022
Ukraine said on Tuesday it had thwarted an attempt by Russian hackers last week to damage its electricity grid with a cyberattack. “This is a military hacking team,” said government spokesman Victor Zhora. “Their aim was to disable a number of facilities, including electricity substations.” Kyiv blamed the attack on a group dubbed “Sandworm” by researchers and ...
- China accused of cyberattacks on Indian power grid
April 8, 2022
China has been accused of conducting a long-term cyber attack on India’s power grid, and has been implicated in cyber attacks against targets in Ukraine. Cybersecurity firm Insikt Group found network intrusions at seven Indian State Load Dispatch Centers (SLDCs) that conduct real-time operations for grid control and electricity dispatch, according to a report released Wednesday. ...
- FBI: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures of Indicted State-Sponsored Russian Cyber Actors Targeting the Energy Sector
March 24, 2022
This joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA)—coauthored by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Energy (DOE)—provides information on multiple intrusion campaigns conducted by statesponsored Russian cyber actors from 2011 to 2018 and targeted U.S. and international Energy Sector organizations. CISA, the FBI, and DOE responded to ...
- TRITON Malware Remains Threat to Global Critical Infrastructure Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
March 24, 2022
The FBI is warning that the group responsible for the deployment of TRITON malware against a Middle East–based petrochemical plant’s safety instrumented system in 2017, the Russian Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics (TsNIIKhM), continues to conduct activity targeting the global energy sector. This warning follows the 24 March 2022 unsealing of a ...
- Oil & Gas Cybersecurity: Halt Critical Operation Attacks
March 15, 2022
The oil and gas utilities industry face threats from cyber incidents. The ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline in May 2021 had a huge impact on the industry. In February 2022, it was also reported that European oil facilities hit by cyber-attack and forced to operate at limited capacity. These latest incidents suggest that oil and ...
- Oil terminals disrupted after European ports hit by cyberattack
February 3, 2022
Port facilities in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands have been targeted by a large-scale cyberattack, authorities say. Officials say the hack began several days ago and has primarily disrupted operations at oil terminals, preventing tankers from delivering energy supplies. German judicial authorities say they have launched an investigation into suspected “extortion” of oil operators, amid soaring energy ...
- Shell forced to reroute supplies after cyberattack on two German oil companies
February 1, 2022
A cyberattack on two German oil suppliers has forced energy giant Shell to reroute oil supplies to other depots, according to Reuters and the Handelsblatt newspaper. Handelsblatt was the first to report on Monday that oil companies Oiltanking and Mabanaft, both owned by German logistics conglomerate Marquard & Bahls Group, had suffered a cyberattack that crippled ...
- Cyber espionage campaign targets renewable energy companies
January 17, 2022
A large-scale cyber-espionage campaign targeting primarily renewable energy and industrial technology organizations have been discovered to be active since at least 2019, targeting over fifteen entities worldwide. The campaign was discovered by security researcher William Thomas, a Curated Intelligence trust group member, who employed OSINT (open-source intelligence) techniques like DNS scans and public sandbox submissions. Thomas’ analysis ...
- The race towards renewable energy is creating new cybersecurity risks
January 14, 2022
The renewable energy industry is becoming more important as countries attempt to move away from fossil fuels, but the continued growth of the sector must be managed with cybersecurity in mind, or there’s the danger that vulnerabilities in everything from power plants down to smart meters could leave energy providers and their customers open to ...
- Arrest in Romania of a ransomware affiliate scavenging for sensitive data
December 13, 2021
Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) has supported the Romanian National Police (Poliția Română) and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in arresting a ransomware affiliate targeting high-profile organisations and companies for their sensitive data. The suspect – a 41-year-old Romanian national – was arrested today at his home in Craiova, Romania, in the early hours ...
- 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 ...