Security News > 2021 > May > US announces new security directive after critical pipeline hack
The US Department of Homeland Security has announced new pipeline cybersecurity requirements after the largest fuel pipeline in the United States was forced to shut down operations in early May following a ransomware attack.
The new security directive requires critical pipeline owners and operators to report any confirmed and potential cybersecurity incidents to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
They are also required to designate Cybersecurity Coordinators available 24/7, and to report cyber-related risks, security gaps, and remediation measures to the Transportation Security Administration and CISA within 30 days, after reviewing their current security practices.
"The recent ransomware attack on a major petroleum pipeline demonstrates that the cybersecurity of pipeline systems is critical to our homeland security," the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said today.
The new security directive is designed to make it easier for the DHS to identify, protect against, and respond to cybersecurity threats targeting critical pipeline sector companies.
The directive was prompted by a DarkSide ransomware attack that hit the networks of Colonial Pipeline, a company managing the largest US pipeline system and supplying roughly half of all the fuel on the East Coast.
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