{"id":2250999,"date":"2024-05-23T07:54:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T11:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russian-cyberterror-attacks-should-be-a-wakeup-call-to-dhs-less-censorship-more-security\/"},"modified":"2024-05-23T08:00:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T12:00:51","slug":"russian-cyberterror-attacks-should-be-a-wakeup-call-to-dhs-less-censorship-more-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russian-cyberterror-attacks-should-be-a-wakeup-call-to-dhs-less-censorship-more-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian cyberattacks should alert DHS: Increase security, reduce censorship"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frussian-cyberterror-attacks-should-be-a-wakeup-call-to-dhs-less-censorship-more-security%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2250999&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u2062 cyberterrorism incident in Texas involved\u200b Russian hackers\u2062 targeting Muleshoe&#8217;s\u200d water treatment \u200bfacility, endangering 5,000 residents. Similar attacks on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-white-house-confirms-3t-infrastructure-bill-will-be-in-two-parts\/\" title=\"Biden White House confirms T infrastructure bill will be in two parts\">water systems<\/a> \u200dhighlight the urgent need for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-hack-of-state-department-emails-included-breach-of-social-security-numbers\/\" title=\"Chinese hackers breached State Department emails, compromising Social Security numbers.\">enhanced cybersecurity measures<\/a>. While\u2062 efforts by agencies like CISA are essential, reports indicate a concerning misalignment in priorities, emphasizing\u2064 the \u2063critical necessity for effective\u2064 and focused protection of vital infrastructure.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Earlier this year, in my home state of Texas, Russian cyberterrorists reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpomagazine.com\/cyber-security\/state-sponsored-russian-hackers-linked-to-breach-of-texas-water-treatment-plant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hacked<\/a> into the city of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2024\/04\/19\/texas-cyberattacks-russia\/\">Muleshoe\u2019s water treatment facility<\/a> computer systems, flooding the water tank that supplies drinking water for this small town of 5,000 people. This was one of three attacks levied on small water providers in rural Texas this year \u2014 at least one of which has been reportedly linked to Russian hackers \u2014 which narrowly avoided cataclysm thanks to these older systems possessing the ability to \u201cpull the plug\u201d and resume operations manually. <\/p>\n<p>Even with a blunted imagination, the harm that could befall Americans if Russians, Iranians, and the Chinese further ratchet up the frequency of cyberattacks on our water systems is astounding. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-675793080\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-541eee4910317b4fc4d46524b10f721c fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-541eee4910317b4fc4d46524b10f721c\"><\/div>\n<p>The recent attacks on Texas and <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2024\/05\/20\/chinese-iranian-and-russian-gangs-are-attacking-u-s-drinking-water-and-officials-are-alarmed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">elsewhere<\/a> underscore a national crisis that is silently transpiring. As I outlined in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texaspolicy.com\/modernizing-texas-water-infrastructure-cybersecurity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new research paper<\/a>, the history of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-so-many-people-are-fleeing-california-they-may-lose-a-house-seat-and-electoral-college-vote\/\" title=\"REPORT: So Many People Are Fleeing California They May Lose A House Seat And Electoral College Vote\">public policy<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-slam-psakis-space-force-slight\/\" title=\"Republicans Slam Psaki\u2019s Space Force Slight\">critical infrastructure<\/a> cybersecurity is punctuated by a reactionary, fragmented system of governance.<\/p>\n<p>When the Russian cybercriminal group DarkSide successfully brought down the Colonial Pipeline and received $4.4 million in ransom payments to reward their efforts, then and only then did it drive the federal government to take substantive action to protect the digital security of our pipelines. And while there is still tremendous work needed to harden our grid, health care, and nuclear digital targets, these sectors have received more federal attention than water due to palpable harms that have ensued from successful cyberattacks here and abroad. <\/p>\n<p>When it comes to water, draining the supply of a small town is just the start. We need not wait for cyberterrorists to poison the water supply of a large urban area before legislative action is taken.<\/p>\n<p>The federal government is doing something to address this issue, but alas, its efforts are misguided and out of touch, which just makes matters worse. CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, is empowered to coordinate cybersecurity efforts for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-alejandro-mayorkas-picks-corporate-ceos-for-advisory-council\/\" title=\"DHS Alejandro Mayorkas Picks Corporate CEOs for Advisory Council\">critical infrastructure security<\/a> and resilience. In theory, it is responsible for providing resources and assistance to towns like Muleshoe, which lack the resources and technical capabilities to recover from highly sophisticated foreign cyberterrorists. Even more theoretical still, CISA is responsible for taking proactive actions to bolster the defenses of water systems like those in rural East Texas to prevent enemies from infiltrating digital systems. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a37523d92816bd009ef8c2bb495c3762 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a37523d92816bd009ef8c2bb495c3762\"><\/div>\n<p>However, as was made clear in a report from the House Committee on the Judiciary\u2019s weaponization subcommittee, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/republicans-judiciary.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/cisa-staff-report6-26-23.pdf\">The Weaponization of CISA<\/a>: How a \u2018Cybersecurity\u2019 Agency Colluded with Big Tech and \u2018Disinformation\u2019 Partners to Censor Americans,\u201d CISA views conservative speech online as a greater threat than China disabling our electric grid or Russia killing residents in proximity of a water treatment facility. <\/p>\n<p>No one is debating whether it is the proper role of government to protect our digital infrastructure from foreign adversaries. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find a more nonpartisan issue than basic cybersecurity for our most precious sectors of infrastructure. But given this administration\u2019s myopic focus on squelching domestic political speech that doesn\u2019t align with its agenda over combating enemies that are gathering new intel and capabilities daily that bring them one step closer to deactivating our country\u2019s lifelines, states like Texas are stepping up.<\/p>\n<p>This week, I was invited to testify before the Texas Legislature\u2019s Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs on steps the state can take to enhance its critical water infrastructure cybersecurity. Disheartening as the status quo is, Texas is poised to take action to prevent attacks like that which befell Muleshoe. Some of the policy recommendations I outlined include prudent investments in career technical education to increase the number and quality of IT and OT professionals, making \u201cvoluntary\u201d cybersecurity standards for water providers mandatory, more regular critical water infrastructure cybersecurity audits, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texaspolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024-05-BTT-Water-Infrastructure-Cybersecurity-Dunmoyer_FINAL.pdf\">more<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Innovation has unleashed new efficiencies and conveniences in every sector of critical infrastructure. But the trade-off to digitalizing water treatment facilities, incorporating smart water meters, and automating what were once manual processes is the introduction of unfathomable complexity. Rogue nation-states are using this to their advantage, using small water facilities as practice to refine their attacks for the big one \u2014 the Colonial Pipeline equivalent for our water sector. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ab330659cdfd6182091dc5fe1d5374e4 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ab330659cdfd6182091dc5fe1d5374e4\"><\/div>\n<p>Every second of every day we\u2019re at war with these cyberterrorists, and it\u2019s time public policy reflected this. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-97bd6c891703bf28bdd8784129a10086 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-97bd6c891703bf28bdd8784129a10086\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Texas, Russian cyberterrorists breached Muleshoe&#8217;s water treatment computer systems, flooding the supply tank for 5,000 residents. This attack was among three targeting rural water providers in the state this year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3164,"featured_media":2251000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Aerial-Water-Treatment.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2250999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Aerial-Water-Treatment.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2250999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2251000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2250999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2250999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2250999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}