Security News > 2024 > May > U.K., U.S. and Canadian Cyber Authorities Warn of Pro-Russia Hacktivist Attacks on Operational Technology Systems

The U.K.'s National Cyber Security Centre and other international cyber authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have warned about pro-Russia hacktivist attacks targeting providers of operational technology.

Pro-Russia hacktivists exploit both virtual network computing remote access software and default passwords to access the software components of internet-exposed industrial control systems associated with OT devices.

Must-read security coverage Which pro-Russia hacktivists were responsible for attacks on OT systems?

While the report does not explicitly name any threat actors identified as being responsible for these attacks, in January, a pro-Russia hacktivist group called Cyber Army of Russia posted a video that appears to show them manipulating settings at a water supply organisation in Muleshoe, Texas, leading to an overflow.

Implement software and hardware limits on physical process manipulation, for example, by using operational interlocks, cyber-physical safety systems and cyber-informed engineering.

Evidence from Thales submitted for a U.K. government report on the threat of ransomware to national security stated, "It is not uncommon within the CNI sector to find aging systems with long operational life that are not routinely updated, monitored or assessed."

News URL

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/pro-russia-hacktivists-target-operational-technology/