DHS: Cyber Attacks Against U.S. Infrastructure Increased by 52 Percent in 2012

Cyber vulnerabilities around the U.S. (Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
There were 198 attacks total

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that the number of cyber attacks launched against U.S. infrastructure in 2012 increased by over 50 percent, and over 7,000 key industrial control systems are vulnerable to attack.

According to the DHS report, the number of cyber attacks in the U.S. jumped by 52 percent in 2012. There were 198 attacks total, and some were successful.

The report noted that 82 of the attacks were against the energy sector; another 29 were against the water industry, seven against the chemical plants and six against nuclear companies. It was noted that these were just the cases that were reported -- there were likely several that were either unreported or undiscovered.

It doesn't end there, however. The security advocacy group InfraCritical used a special search engine to find Internet-connected devices, and it discovered about 500,000 devices that tap into important control systems.

When presenting this to DHS, the agency conducted an investigation and found that 7,200 devices were linked to key control systems. It is currently working to let system operators know about the vulnerabilities and close them down.

Back in May 2011, the Pentagon ruled that cyber attacks on the government could be considered an act of war.
Source: CNN Money


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