A cyberattack over the weekend against Colonial Pipeline underscores the vulnerability of companies and utilities across our nation.

Colonial, which delivers nearly half of all fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems.

In a ransomware attack, the victim’s computer systems are hacked and payment is demanded to unlock them.

The hack of Colonial is believed to be the largest successful assault on U.S. energy infrastructure in history and has fueled concerns of a spike in gasoline prices.

DarkSide, a Russian hacking outfit, is believed to be behind the attack. Colonial has not said whether it has paid or is negotiating a ransom.

No one is safe.

In Washington, D.C., the police department is negotiating with a Russian-speaking ransomware syndicate that threatens to release sensitive information that could put lives at risk if more money is not offered.

In Pennsylvania, the FBI is investigating hacking attempts at two public water systems.

One of the attempts reportedly occurred at Belle Vernon Municipal Authority in Fayette County.

Earlier this year, hackers successfully penetrated a water system in Florida, boosting levels of sodium hydroxide, a cleaning agent, to dangerous levels. A water authority employee was able to reverse the levels before any damage was done.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned that technological attacks such as Colonial are “here to stay.”

“This is what businesses now have to worry about,” she said. “Unfortunately, these sorts of attacks are becoming more frequent ... and we have to work in partnership with business to secure networks to defend ourselves.”

The Colonial incident is a wake-up call to companies about the vulnerabilities they face.

“One of the challenges we have right now is our adversaries are realizing that there are blind spots that they can afford themselves to, to conduct intrusions,” Gen. Paul Nakasone, who heads the United States Cyber Command, told the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday.

Intelligence agencies concur cyber operations that target critical infrastructure, elections, supply chains and more may be more destructive and disruptive in the near future.

In 2020, an unprecedented number of ransomware and other destructive cybersecurity attacks targeting state and local governments were reported, including significant attacks on infrastructure, water and utilities.

There’s so much we take for granted in our everyday lives: the easy availability of electricity, the internet, natural gas fuel for our vehicles.

No matter the size of the municipality, county or state, every jurisdiction is at risk of a cyberattack. Local government must be proactive, not reactive, in protecting their networks from malicious, terroristic cyberattacks. They must take every measure to protect their most valuable assets and make cybersecurity a priority.

Cybersecurity is homeland security. We must remain vigilant.

— JGG