In May, a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline Co., the operator of the largest petroleum pipeline in the United States, forced the company to shut down its entire fuel supply network for five days, creating a serious impact on social and economic activities in the U.S. East Coast.
According to an annual report on 10 major information-related security threats issued by the Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan in February, ransomware has now become the greatest threat to the information security of both the government and the private sector.
What makes this threat even more serious is the fact that it is targeted at key infrastructure that supports people’s lives and economic activities.
There have been countless cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the past, both successful and attempted. One serious case was an attack on SolarWinds Inc., a U.S. information security firm, that spread to its clients that had software contracts with the company.
SolarWinds’ software is used by major U.S. government institutions, the military and key infrastructure providers. The firm’s overseas clients include NATO and the European Parliament, as well as the U.K.’s…
