Since Russia invaded Ukraine the United States has been living under the threat of a cyber attack from Russia in response to the United States helping Ukraine.
The United States Senate passed a bill called Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 to make it mandatory for certain organizations to report cyber incidents.
If you could vote directly on this policy, would you vote for it or against it?
The first question is, how serious is the cyber threat? One of the most high profile examples of a cyber attack was the Colonial Pipeline hack in 2021. According to this article from Techtarget:
“The Colonial Pipeline was the victim of a ransomware attack in May 2021. It infected some of the pipeline’s digital systems, shutting it down for several days. The Colonial Pipeline comprises more than 5,500 miles of pipeline.”
Okay, so what were the consequences of this ransomware attack?
“The shutdown affected consumers and airlines along the East Coast. The hack was deemed a national security threat, as the pipeline moves oil from refineries to industry markets. This caused President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency.”
How much was the ransom and was it paid?
“The goal for attackers in a ransomware attack is to have the victim pay a ransom, which is exactly what Colonial Pipeline did. The DarkSide attackers asked for a ransom of 75 bitcoin, which was worth approximately $4.4 million on May 7.”
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