How vulnerable is critical infrastructure to cyberattack in the US?

Critical infrastructure in the US, including water, health, and energy systems, is increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks.
A “hybrid” battle between physical and digital attacks is becoming more common, making critical infrastructure a target for both nation-state and non-state actors.
The 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and recent uptick in cyberattacks against community water systems demonstrate the growing threat to US critical infrastructure.
Experts like Joshua Corman of the Institute for Security and Technology (IST) emphasize the need to reevaluate how we safeguard these lifelines from cyberattack, citing “great connectivity comes great responsibility.”
While it’s not time to panic, the threat to US critical infrastructure requires attention and action to prevent devastating consequences in the event of a cyberattack or physical conflict.

Our water, health, and energy systems are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattack.

Now, when tensions escalate – like when the US bombed nuclear facilities in Iran this month – the safety of these systems becomes of paramount concern. If conflict erupts, we can expect it to be a “hybrid” battle, Joshua Corman, executive in residence for public safety & resilience at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST), tells The Verge.

“With great connectivity comes great responsibility.”

Battlefields now extend into the digital world, which in turn makes critical infrastructure in the real world a target. I first reached out to IST for their expertise on this issue back in 2021, when a ransomware attack forced the Colonial Pipeline – a major artery transporting nearly half of the east coast’s fuel supply – offline for nearly a week. Since then, The Verge has also covered an uptick in cyberattacks against community water systems in the US, and America’s attempts to thwart assaults supported by other governments.

It’s not time to panic, Corman reassures me. But it is important to reevaluate how we safeguard hospitals, water supplies, and other lifelines from cyberattack. There hap …