A Canadian cyber intelligence agency is warning the country’s oil and gas sector to be vigilant against Russian hackers in retaliation for this country’s support for the war in Ukraine..The Canadian Security Establishment — the country’s cyber spy network — warned on Wednesday that Russian aligned non-state actors are continuing attempts to “compromise” the oil and gas sector in its latest threat assessment released Wednesday..The CES identified “Ransomware” as the most likely treat.."We assess that the intent of this activity is very likely to disrupt critical services for psychological impact, ultimately to weaken Canadian support for Ukraine. We assess that this activity will almost certainly continue for the duration of the war, and will likely increase as Russia's invasion efforts falter, or new support for Ukraine is announced," the report said. .The group pegged a 50/50 chance of a “disruptive incident” targeting large diameter pipelines, transfer points and refineries as the most likely targets..It comes after leaked US intelligence documents in suggested Russian hackers had gained access to Canada’s natural gas distribution network. .In April, Russian hackers claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on HydroQuebec and knocking down Prime Minister Trudeau’s website following a visit from Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal..In 2021, hackers gained access to Newfoundland and Labrador’s health care system in what was described as the worst hacking incident in Canadian history. .Also in 2021, a ransomware attack on the Colonial pipeline in the US knocked out gasoline deliveries on the Eastern Seaboard..In an April report, the CES said the eastern US was only a few days away from food shortages due to the outage.."We assess that since the oil and gas sector is critical infrastructure, it is very likely a strategic target for state-sponsored cyber activity to project state power, especially in times of geopolitical tension," the report said..“If you run the critical systems that power our communities, offer internet access to Canadians, provide health care, or generally operate any of the services Canadians can’t do without, you must protect your systems. Monitor your networks. Apply mitigations,” it said..“If you run the critical systems that power our communities, offer internet access to Canadians, provide health care, or generally operate any of the services Canadians can’t do without, you must protect your systems. Monitor your networks. Apply mitigations.”.“Together we will help keep Canada safe.”
