Increasing cyber resiliency in critical infrastructure (CI) is a monumental challenge for many reasons. In past blogs and reports, we’ve covered some of the biggest cyber threats that CI organizations face and the implications of cyber attacks against CI, which can endanger our national security and emergency response, and put people in harm’s way. The recent national cybersecurity strategy released by the Biden administration places a strong emphasis on CI agencies, which has spurred directives from agencies like the TSA (Transportation Security Agency) to meet the strategic objectives.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued an urgent directive on aviation cybersecurity resilience. The directive is in response to recent attacks that have targeted the aviation industry as well as the new national cyber strategy, and it aims to enhance the overall cybersecurity posture of aviation systems.
The directive mandates specific actions for all aviation stakeholders, including airlines, airports, and air traffic control facilities, to strengthen their cybersecurity. These actions include reviewing and implementing best practices for cybersecurity, identifying and patching vulnerabilities, and conducting regular cybersecurity assessments.
The TSA has also stressed the importance of collaboration between aviation stakeholders to share information about potential threats and to coordinate response efforts in the event of a cyber incident. The directive has been welcomed by industry leaders, who have recognized the critical importance of cybersecurity in aviation and other critical infrastructure sectors.
One of the core tenets of the directive urges organizations to implement continuous monitoring of cyber threats that could impact cyber systems inside the organization. To realize the benefits of continuous monitoring, organizations should work with a managed service provider (MSP) that offers open and dark web monitoring. Continuous monitoring of external threats helps CI organizations get ahead of threats that are out there on the web.
In our recent Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure report, we cover the importance of dark web monitoring for critical infrastructure organizations. The report found that critical infrastructure sectors are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals and state-sponsored threat actors. There are over 100,000 dark web listings related to critical infrastructure sectors, including stolen data, hacking tools, and vulnerabilities, ultimately endangering our national security.
Ransomware is a major threat facing CI organizations. The amount and severity of recent ransomware attacks on CI organizations make it obvious that ransomware response needs to be part of incident response plans. Ransomware attacks are fundamentally different from other cyber attacks in that they typically cause a complete operational interruption. This impact often breaks traditional response plans, leaving the affected organization in a state of chaos.
Given the importance of critical infrastructure providers, addressing ransomware response separately is the best approach. Working with a ransomware response organization that can assist with the prevention, planning, response playbook, financial, compliance, and response in advance of an attack will save time, money, and potentially, lives. Dark web monitoring provides proactive intelligence on ransomware threats that target similar organizations.
If your organization wants to get ahead of these recent directives, GroupSense can help. Learn more about our Ransomware Readiness & Response Subscription (R3S) here, or contact us today to get started on your custom ransomware playbook.