Security News > 2021 > July > New Cybersecurity Order Issued for US Pipeline Operators
The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday announced new requirements for U.S. pipeline operators to bolster cybersecurity following a May ransomware attack that disrupted gas delivery across the East Coast.
In a statement, DHS said it would require operators of federally designated critical pipelines to implement "Specific mitigation measures" to prevent ransomware attacks and other cyber intrusions.
It's the latest response by the Biden administration to a series of ransomware attacks and intrusions hitting critical U.S. infrastructure and raising fears about American cybersecurity.
DHS did not immediately release further details about the guidance, which comes after another directive issued weeks after the May 7 attack on Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline.
U.S. agencies on Tuesday also disclosed that Chinese government-linked intruders targeted 23 natural gas pipeline operators from 2011 to 2013.
The FBI has blamed the attack on a Russia-based gang of hackers using the DarkSide ransomware variant.