Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure
Examples of Cybersecurity Threats to Critical Infrastructure
Course Progress
What are examples of cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure?
Here are a few examples of the types of consequences inadequate cybersecurity protections for critical infrastructure can have:
- A 2014 attempted attack on the U.S. energy sector was detected by the Industrial Control Systems Computer Emergency Response Team.
- In 2016, Iranian hackers targeted 46 major financial institutions and a New York City dam.
- In 2016, Verizon found attackers had access to a water utility's software, allowing the attackers to alter the water flow and the level of chemicals in the water.
These are not isolated incidents. The computers controlling major U.S. industry operations were threatened over 200 times during the course of a recent year.
![Cybersecurity Threats: External Hacking 50%; Malware 46%; 37% Social Engineering; 36% Spam; 29% Insider Data Leakage/Theft; 25% Denial of Service; 20% Mobile Device Theft; Physical Security Attacks 18%](graphics/FedVTE_CriticalInfrastructure_p07.png)