Ransomware on US Pipeline Infrastructure

Example of very large consequences for such an attack.  Threats to such infrastructure must be prevented.      Further good comments on Schneier.

Ransomware Attack Leads to Shutdown of Major U.S. Pipeline System

The Washington Post   Ellen Nakashima; Yeganeh Torbati; Will Englund

A ransomware attack forced operators of the Colonial Pipeline to shut down its network on Friday, highlighting the vulnerability of industrial sectors to such threats. A U.S. official and another source familiar with the matter said the attack appears to have been conducted by DarkSide, an Eastern European-based criminal gang believed to operate primarily out of Russia. Private companies that probe cyberattacks say they are handling cases involving DarkSide targeting U.S. industrial firms with ransomware, while many other ransomware gangs also appear to be attacking such companies in greater numbers than previously known. Eric Goldstein at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said, "We encourage every organization to take action to strengthen their cybersecurity posture to reduce their exposure to these types of threats."