Washington (AP) – Pirates linked to the Russian government launched a cyber attack last spring against municipal water factories in the rural regions of Texas. At a factory Muleshoe5,000 inhabitants, water began to overflow. The authorities had to disconnect the system and manage the plant manually.
THE pirates did not try to interfere with the supply of water. They did not ask for a ransom. The authorities have determined that the intrusion was designed to test THE vulnerability American public infrastructure. It was also a warning: in the 21st century, it takes more than oceans and an army to ensure the security of the United States.
A year later, the countries of the world imminent trade war have increased the challenges – and the chances that a cyber attack may cause significant economic damage, disturb Vital public systemsreveal sensitive trade or government secrets, or even degenerate into military confrontation.
The confluence of events has national security experts and cyber-experts warning increased cyber states and an increasing race for digital arms while countries are looking to defend themselves.
At the same time, President Donald Trump upset the digital defenses of America by Draw the four -star general who directed the National Security Agency, in narrowing of cybersecurity agencies and Distribute cybersecurity initiatives of the elections.
Companies are now increasingly concerned about cyber attacks, and governments have moved to a warfare, according to a report This month by NCC Group, a British cybersecurity company.
“Geopolitical dust is still settling in,” said Verona Johnstone-Hulse, an expert based in London on government cybersecurity policies and the co-author of the report. “What the new normal is like is not yet defined.”
In the United States, many are already calling for a more muscular approach to protect the digital border.
“The hybrid war is there to stay,” said Tom KellermannMain vice-president of cybersrategy to the security of the contrast. “We have to stop playing the defense – it’s time to make them defense.”
Digital life means more targets for pirates
Vulnerabilities have grown as people and businesses use Connected devices To count the steps, manage finances and use installations such as water factories and ports. Each network and connection are a potential target for foreign governments or Piracy groups which sometimes make their auctions.
Espionage is a reasonDemonstrated in a recent incursion linked to pirate pirates in China. The campaign known as Salt Typhoon sought Crack civil servant phonesIncluding Trump, before the 2024 elections.
These operations are looking for entry to sensitive business or government systems To steal secrets or Monitor personal communications. Such information Can be extremely precious by offering advantages in commercial negotiations or military planning. These pirates try to stay hidden as long as possible.
More obvious intrusions can serve as a warning or deterrence, such as cyber attacks targeting the aquatic plants of Texas. Iran has also shown a desire to use cyber attacks to make political points.
Cyberattacks that scare the most deeply enriched experts in telephone or computer networks, insertion of malware or software for subsequent use.
National security experts say it was the motivation behind a recent attack by China called Volt Typhoon which Compromise telephone networks In the United States in an effort To access an unknown number of critical systems.
China could potentially use these connections to deactivate key infrastructure – power plants, communication networkspipelines, hospitalsFinancial systems – as part of a larger conflict or before an invasion of Taiwan, said national security experts.
“They can position their implants to be activated on a date and an hour in the future,” said Sonu Shankar, a former researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory, who is now director of phosphorus Cybersecurity strategy.
National security officials will not discuss details, but the experts interviewed by the Associated Press said that the United States had undoubtedly developed similar offensive capacities.
China has rejected American hacking allegations, accusing America of trying to ” smear “Beijing during lead your own cyber attacks.
Global tensions are banging
Wars Ukraine And The Middle East. Trade disputes. Changing alliances. The risk of cyber attacks increases during the global tension period, and experts say that the risk is now high.
American opponents China, Russia, Iran And North Korea has also shown signs of cybercoperation because they forge more stringent economic, military and political relations.
Talk to the congressNational Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard noted that Iran has provided drones in exchange for Russian information and cybercapabilities.
“Russia was the catalyst for a large part of this extended cooperation, strongly motivated by the support it needed for its war effort against Ukraine,” Gabbard told legislators.
In the midst of the world fears of a trade war after the Prices that Trump imposedThe supply chains could be targeted in retaliation. Although large companies can have a robust cyberameter, small suppliers who do not have these resources can give easy access to intruders.
And all the cyber-inflict cycles of Tit-For-Tat, in which a country hacked a sensitive system as reprisals for an earlier attack, are accompanied by “great risk” for all those involved, said Shankar. “It would put them on the way to the military conflict.”
The Trump effect
At a time when national security and cybersecurity experts say that the United States should strengthen its defenses, Trump called for reductions in the endowment and other modifications to agencies that protect American interests in cyberspace.
For example, Trump recently dismissed General Timothy Haugh, who supervised the NSA and the Pentagon cyber command.
The United States faced “unprecedented cyberrencies,” said Virginia senator Mark Warner, the best democrat of the Senate intelligence committee. He asked the White House to explain Haugh’s departure. “How to dismiss him makes Americans safer?” Said Warner.
Also under Trump, the American cybersecurity and infrastructure agency put on leave staff members who worked on election safety and reduce millions of dollars in funding For cybersecurity programs for local and state elections. His administration eliminated the Center for World Commitment of the State Departmentwhich followed and exposed foreign disinformation online.
THE CIA,, Nsa And other intelligence agencies have also experienced reductions in the endowment.
The administration was faced with more questions about the seriousness of cybersecurity after senior officials used the signal of the popular messaging application to discuss sensitive information on future military strikes in Yemen. Gabbard later called the episode an error.
Officials in charge of American cybersecurity insist that Trump changes will make the United States safer, while getting rid of unnecessary expenses and confused regulations.
The Pentagon, for example, has invested in efforts to exploit artificial intelligence to improve cyberfentses, according to a report supplied at Congress By Lieutenant-General William J. Hartman, acting commander of NSA and Cyber Command.
Changes to the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency is involved while its leaders examine the best way to perform their mission in alignment with the administration’s priorities, according to a CISA statement.
“As an American cyber-defense agency, we remain firmly in our mission to safeguard the country’s critical infrastructure against all cyber and physical threats,” the statement said. “We will continue to collaborate with our partners through the government, industry and international allies to strengthen global cybersecurity efforts and protect the American people against foreign opponents, cybercriminals and other emerging threats.”
Representatives of the Gabbard and NSA office did not answer questions about how Trump changes will affect cybersecurity.
Signs of progress?
Despite changing alliances, an increasing consensus on cyber-states could cause greater global cooperation.
More than 20 nations recently signed an international framework on the use of commercial spy software. The United States has pointed out that it will join the non-subtraint agreement.
There is also a large bipartite agreement in the United States on the need to help private industry strengthen defenses.
Federal estimates indicate that the cybersecurity industry must hire 500,000 additional professionals to take up the challenge, said Dean Gefen, a former head of cybertraint of the Israel of intelligence. He is now CEO of Nukudo, a cybersecurity training company.
“Companies need effective government advice – a game book,” said Gefen. “What to do, what not to do.”
