Critical infrastructure is the physical and digital assets, systems and networks that are vital to national security, the economy, public health, or safety. It can be government- or privately-owned.
According to Etay Maor, Senior Director Security Strategy at Cato Networks, “It’s interesting to note critical infrastructure doesn’t necessarily have to be power plants or electricity.
A nation’s monetary system or even a global monetary system can be and should be considered a critical infrastructure as well.”
These qualities make critical infrastructure a preferred target for cyber attacks. If critical infrastructure is disrupted, the impact is significant.
In some cases, such cyber attacks on critical infrastructure have become another means of modern warfare.
But unlike classic warfare, in these conflicts civilians and businesses are in the front line and become the targets.
Just a handful of recent prominent examples include attacks against Ukraine’s power grid in 2015, the intrusion of the business network of Kansas’s nuclear plant in 2018, and North Korea attempting to hack the SWIFT network to steal more than $1 billion.
Not to mention the infamous Colonial Pipeline attack, which has become the poster child of critical infrastructure attacks.
Yet the goal of the attacks could vary. While some are indeed a way to prepare for future conflicts by testing capabilities and defenses, others might be motivated by financial gains, an attempt to steal data, gaining remote access or control, or disrupting and destructing services.
Etay Maor added “It’s not just nation states who attack. It could also be cyber criminals who are looking to make a monetary gain or hacktivists.”
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