The Cyber Defense eMagazine August Edition for 2023

Roughly two years after the unveiling of the 2018 US Cybersecurity Strategy, COVID-19 swept the globe,
irrevocably changing the world as we know it. In March 2020, much of the US was locked down, forcing
many employees to work from home. By June, the FBI reported a 75% increase in cybercrime.
Just under a year later, in May 2021, the Colonial Pipeline incident occurred. DarkSide, a cybercriminal
group with ties to Russia, launched a ransomware attack on a pipeline system originating in Houston,
Texas, that supplies gasoline and jet fuel to much of the Southeastern United States. The attack caused
mass fuel shortages, halted flights, and brought about a state of emergency.
In February 2022 the Russian army stormed Ukraine’s borders. War had returned to Europe. The invasion
provoked widespread condemnation from world leaders and sparked an atmosphere of geopolitical
unrest that persists to this day. Moreover, throughout the war, Russia has repeatedly launched
cyberattacks on Ukraine to varying effects. Russia also engaged in traditional kinetic attacks to destroy
Ukraine’s access to the internet.
These events undoubtedly helped influence the U.S. government’s attitudes towards cybersecurity. From
COVID-19 to the Colonial Pipeline attack to the eruption of war in Europe, it became clear that statesponsored
cyberattacks on US infrastructure were no longer out of the question. The development of
more stringent regulations was a natural outcome.
What role should the private sector play?
The prospect of cyber warfare has dragged the private sector into conflicts to an extent that hasn’t been
seen in the US since the Second World War. Private organizations are now a legitimate target for military
campaigns. For nations such as the United States, who have grown unaccustomed to fighting battles -
kinetic or otherwise - on their own soil, this is a particularly worrying prospect.
As a result, the private sector has a significant role to play in national security, and this doesn’t only apply
to organizations that could be considered CNI. Any organization could be targeted by state-backed
hackers, for a number of reasons. The nature of modern business supply chains means that any
organization could be seen as an attractive target, as they could be the first step on the way to breaching
a larger, more critical organization.
In light of this, it’s more important than ever for the private sector to take responsibility for their
cybersecurity. Their responsibility now goes beyond the protection of their reputation, finances, and
customer data, and into the realm of keeping their nation safe. This is absolutely key to understanding
why global superpowers such as the US are bringing in more stringent regulation and recommendations,
and why automated continuous security validation is so important. Organizations must be able to tell
whether or not they are at risk, and tools such as breach and attack simulation (BAS)—which provide a
way for organizations to continuously validate the efficacy of their security ecosystem, identify gaps, and
take meaningful remedial action - are essential to providing that information.
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