The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in collaboration with U.S. and international partners, has published a joint fact sheet – Defending OT Operations Against Ongoing Pro-Russia Hacktivist Activity. This fact sheet provides information and mitigations associated with cyber operations conducted by pro-Russia hacktivists who seek to compromise industrial control systems (ICS) and small-scale operational technology (OT) systems in North American and Europe.
This includes critical infrastructure sectors, including water and wastewater systems, dams, energy production, and the food and agriculture sectors.
CISA states that “the pro-Russia hacktivist activity appears mostly limited to unsophisticated techniques that manipulate ICS equipment to create nuisance effects. However, investigations have identified that these actors are capable of techniques that pose physical threats against insecure and misconfigured OT environments.” Although it wasn’t a Russian group, a recent PLC attack offers a fresh reminder of the potential impact any attack on U.S. infrastructure can have.
CISA and its partners encourage OT operators in critical infrastructure sectors to apply the recommendations listed in the fact sheet to defend against this activity. To learn more about secure by design principles and practices, visit CISA’s Secure by Design webpage.
For more information and guidance on protection against the most common and impactful threats, tactics, techniques, and procedures, visit CISA’s Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals.