U.S. to tell critical rail, air companies to report hacks, name cyber
chiefs
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[October 07, 2021] By
Christopher Bing
(Reuters) -The Transportation Security
Administration will introduce regulations that compel the most important
U.S. railroad and airport operators to improve their cybersecurity
procedures, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on
Wednesday.
The upcoming changes will make it mandatory for "higher-risk" rail
transit companies and "critical" U.S. airport and aircraft operators to
do three things: name a chief cyber official, disclose hacks to the
government and draft recovery plans for if an attack were to occur.
The planned regulations come after cybercriminals attacked a major U.S.
pipeline operator
https://www.reuters.com/business/
colonial-pipeline-ceo-tells-senate-cyber-defenses-were-compromised-ahead-hack-2021-06-08,
causing localized gas shortages along the U.S. East Coast in May. The
incident led to new cybersecurity rules for pipeline owners in July.
"Whether by air, land, or sea, our transportation systems are of utmost
strategic importance to our national and economic security," Mayorkas
said. "The last year and a half has powerfully demonstrated what’s at
stake."
A key concern motivating the new policies comes from a growth in
ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure companies.
"It’s the first of its kind with respect to the cyber focus," said a
senior homeland security official, who declined to be named, about the
railway security directive and an update to aviation security programs.
Rafail Portnoy, Chief Technology Officer with the New York City
Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it is "constantly vigilant
against this global threat, and will ensure compliance with any TSA
regulations."
The industry group Airlines for America said the issue is important to
them and noted they already work closely with the TSA and other agencies
on cyber security and noted they want to "reduce any potential
duplicative reporting."
[to top of second column] |
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki listens as U.S. Secretary of
Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks about an investigation
into the treatment of Haitian migrants on the U.S.-Mexican border,
during the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the
White House in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn
Hockstein
Ransomware, a type of malware variant that encrypts a victimized system until
the owner pays a ransom in the form of cryptocurrency to the hacker, has become
increasingly common in recent years.
"If transportation does not work, if people can’t go from A to B, then it can
create pressure pretty quickly (to pay the ransom)," said the senior official.
The announcement also follows reports in June
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/
nyregion/mta-cyber-attack.html of a Chinese hacking group infiltrating New York
City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and an August 2020 ransomware
attack
https://www.inquirer.com/transportation/
septa-malware-attack-employees-riders-app-announcements-20200824.html against
the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, causing a disruption to
services.
The Homeland Security Department helped investigate the MTA incident alongside
other federal agencies, including the FBI.
Last month, the TSA notified the private sector about the impending regulations,
said the senior official, and the agency is currently receiving feedback.
The regulations will become active before the end of 2021.
(Reporting by Christopher Bing; Additional reporting by David Shepardson;
editing by Diane Craft and Alistair Bell)
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