Cyber Defense eMagazine July Edition for 2022

U.S. seeks to safeguard the supply chains of dual use technologies
As part of the funding package, the Department of Commerce will increase the enforcement efforts of its
Bureau of Industry and Security to help ensure strong export control technologies that have both civilian
and military purposes, also known as dual-use technologies.
The department will also seek to analyze various potential chokepoints related to “U.S. supply
vulnerabilities; technological infrastructure and information sharing platforms with allies and partners, as
well as responses to chokepoints in the U.S. supply chain that could be used against U.S. interests,”
according to the initial budget request.
The manufacturing sector has been and will continue to be a prime target for cyberattacks within the
supply chain, especially as they increasingly rely on cloud apps and mobile devices for their operations.
According to research from Lookout, mobile phishing attacks spiked 118% in 2021 compared to 2020.
This means attackers are recognizing these devices as a major attack vector to compromise an
organization.
To ensure work-from-anywhere workers stay productive while safeguarding against these threats,
organizations need to embrace zero trust architectures.
Funding to secure electrical grids in Ukraine and at home
Part of the omnibus bill provides funding for the Department of Energy to assist Ukraine in integrating its
electrical grid with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E)
to provide more stable electrical performance.
Along with this, it calls for the DOE to utilize its National Laboratory system to aid in “modeling and
analytics, cybersecurity, synchronization and other assistance prior to an integration with ENTSO-E,”
according to the initial budget request.
This omnibus bill comes at a critical time for the energy sector, following 2021’s Colonial Pipeline attack
that impacted U.S. gas prices and could help defend critical power grids in a contested cyber
environment.
There is also seeing an increase in cyberattacks targeted at the industry. As the 2021 Lookout Energy
Industry Threat Report outlined, mobile phishing attacks on energy sector employees were up 161%
compared to 2020. The energy sector also faces a mobile app threat exposure rate nearly double the
average of all other industries combined, according to the same study.
As the conflict in eastern Europe continues, agencies will likely see a rise in cyberattacks such as phishing
and ransomware.
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