F
uel pipeline shutdown causes gas shortages in several states
The DarkSide group first appeared around August of 2020, both executing its own highly targeted attacks on English-speaking companies and running a ransomware-as-aservice business for less sophisticated cyber criminals. While not particularly dangerous or advanced as compared to other ransomware gangs, DarkSide made news for its “ethical” posturing. It issued press releases promising to keep ransomware attacks away from vulnerable targets such as hospitals and non-profit agencies, and offered victims “friendly” terms including a professional-sounding live chat. It even offered to send donations to several charities, though these were declined. It appears that DarkSide was not extending its code of ethics to its clients, according to a public statement made by the group after the FBI named it in the media: “We are apolitical, we do not participate in geopolitics, do not need to tie us with a defined government and look for our motives … Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society. From today we introduce moderation and check each company that our partners want to encrypt to avoid social consequences in the future.” “Unfortunately, the cyber-attack against Colonial Pipeline is only a teaser of the future of cyber-attacks. As cyber criminals and foreign adversaries seek opportunities for financial gain and power projection, our national critical infrastructure is an easy target. Industrial environments are operating with infrastructure that commonly maintains obsolete technology that can’t be patched, and staff that frequently are not as cyber savvy as they need to be to keep attackers at bay. This leads to a situation where cyber security risk 06
Cybersecurity & Trends Magazine June 2021 Issue – Vol. 6
