From: The Hill
By Zack Colman
The energy sector was the target of more than 40 percent of all reported cyberattacks on critical infrastructure networks last year, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Malicious attacks on oil-and-gas pipelines and electric utilities occurred at an “alarming rate,” DHS’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team warns in a recent report.
The report, which is likely to heighten concerns about the security of the nation’s infrastructure, comes as President Obama is set to roll out an executive order on cybersecurity. That directive could be released as soon as this month.
The administration began designing the order when congressional efforts to pass cybersecurity legislation failed in August.
The document would likely craft incentives to entice critical infrastructure operators — such as the electric grid — to join a voluntary cybersecurity standards program.
Republicans had opposed standards for critical infrastructure networks, fearing even voluntary rules would eventually turn into new regulations. But Democrats and Obama have said such networks are too vital to ignore.
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