Foreign States Preparing Cyber Attacks on Infrastructure in Future War
Rogers awaiting new Trump cyber policy
BY: Bill Gertz
FreeBeacon.com
May 10, 2017
Foreign nations’ cyber intrusions into key infrastructure network are preparation for damaging attacks in a future conflict, the commander of Cyber Command told Congress Tuesday.
Adm. Mike Rogers, the commander who is also director of the National Security Agency, said one of his major concerns is cyber attacks on critical infrastructures used to run the electric grid, financial systems, communications networks, the transportation systems, and others.
“We assess that several countries, including Iran, have conducted disruptions or remote intrusions into critical infrastructure systems in the United States,” Rogers said in his prepared statement.
Iranian hackers were linked to cyber disruptions of U.S. financial institutions last year, and Russian-linked BlackEnergy malware was used in cyber attacks against Ukraine’s electrical power systems.
Homeland Security also has warned U.S. critical infrastructure administrators to be alert for the use of BlackEnergy cyber attacks here.
“Infiltrations in U.S. critical infrastructure—when viewed in the light of incidents like these—can look like preparations for future attacks that could be intended to harm Americans, or at least to deter the United States and other countries from protecting and defending our vital interests,” Rogers said.
Cyber Command hopes industry will agree to share telemetry data used by infrastructure owners to remotely monitor systems so that any attacks could be detected quickly.
One vulnerable location is the Pacific island of Guam. If the electric grid were disrupted in a cyber attack, military operations would be affected. The island is a major hub.
Rogers said both enemy states and non-state actors are seeking to subvert the United States through the use of cyber operations.
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