This Week in Critical Infrastructure, we continue our coverage of emerging cybersecurity topics with two articles from the Wall Street Journal and one from the Washington Free Beacon discussing current U.S. preparedness for cyber attacks from foreign sources.
America Isn’t Ready for a Cyberattack [Subscription Required]
Christopher Mims writes for the Wall Street Journal to discuss America’s current vulnerability to cyber attacks in the wake of the large DDoS attack against Dyn last month. The relatively low cost of the botnet capability used in the attack means that similar strikes could happen at any time, and the United States is currently incapable of preventing them.
Russian Hacks Show Cybersecurity Limits
From the Wall Street Journal, Robert McMillan and Jennifer Valentino-Devries write about Russian cyber strategy, detailing how recent hacks against the DNC and Clinton campaign indicate that Russian hackers have sidestepped sophisticated protection measures by relying on relatively old, unsophisticated tactics like phishing to engage in information warfare.
FBI: New Malware to Spur More Large-Scale Cyber Attacks
Bill Gertz of the Washington Free Beacon discusses a recent release from the FBI warning companies to be wary of recent malware responsible for the DDoS attack against Dyn. This malware takes advantage of vulnerabilities in Internet-enabled devices (components of the ‘Internet of Things’) to create massive botnets that can be unleashed in coordinated strikes against targeted servers.