A ransomware attack by a Russian cybercriminal group forced the largest petroleum pipeline in the United States to shut down. The worst attack ever on U.S. critical infrastructure, it is only the most recent in a growing wave of attacks, one for which the U.S., like other governments, is not prepared.
Doing so will require a whole of society effort, one in which governments, businesses and citizens all recognize the importance of cybersecurity and then act accordingly. We have a long way to go.
Ransomware involves the insertion of malicious software into a computer network that locks it up or encrypts the data; either way, computers are effectively shut down ¡ª literally. After an attack a few years ago, one company had to throw away virtually every device ¡ª computers, printers, servers, routers, phones ¡ª connected to its network.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.