Critical Infrastructure Security, Incident Response, Network Security, TDR

ICS-CERT: Manufacturing sees greater share of 2015 critical infrastructure attacks

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's IndustrialControl Systems Cybersecurity Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) detected arise in reported cyberattacks against critical manufacturing organizations in2015, according a newICS-CERT report.

During ICS-CERT's previous fiscal year, which ended in September 2015,there were 295 reported cyberattack incidents involving U.S. criticalinfrastructure. Of those, 97 incidents, or 33 percent, affected the criticalmanufacturing sector. By contrast, critical manufacturing represented only 27percent of cyberattacks in FY 2014 (65 incidents). The report ascribed thisincrease to a pervasive spear phishing campaign in 2015 that focused primarilyon manufacturers.

The report also stated many of the 295 reported attacks exploited “insufficientlyarchitected networks such as ICS networks being directly connected to the Internetor to corporate networks.” Spear phishing accounted for 37 percent of the totalincidents.

Bradley Barth

As director of community content at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for SC Media online conferences and events, as well as video/multimedia projects. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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