US intelligence chief warns Congress of rising cyberattacks | Wilnesh News

The top U.S. intelligence official warned Congress of an alarming increase in cyberattacks at a global threats hearing on Thursday.

director of national intelligence Avril Haynes According to the report, the number of global ransomware attacks will increase by up to 74% in 2023.

Haynes’ comments come from various companies, e.g. UnitedHealth Group, MGM Resorts and Cloroxdisrupted by cyberattacks over the past year.

“While the likelihood that any single attack will have a widespread impact on disrupting critical services remains low, the increased number of attacks and the willingness of attackers to access and manipulate these control systems increases the collective likelihood that at least one attack could have a more significant impact,” ” Haines told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Haynes said U.S. entities were the most heavily targeted in 2023, with industries such as healthcare seeing attacks that doubled from the previous year.

The intelligence chief also said they have seen a significant increase in attacks on critical infrastructure control systems, but added that entities have many ways to prevent being targeted.

In 2021, a ransomware attack forced the shutdown of the largest U.S. fuel pipeline, a shutdown that caused severe disruptions to natural gas deliveries and long lines at pump stations along the East Coast.

“A lot of attacks are basically possible because good cybersecurity practices aren’t in place, passwords aren’t updated, vulnerabilities aren’t patched,” Haynes said.

Maine Sen. Angus King urged Haines to do more to prevent U.S. adversaries from launching state-sponsored attacks. In recent years, the United States has accused China and Russia of launching cyber attacks on American soil.

“They have to understand that we’re putting their systems at risk…and that has to be part of our strategy. It’s not just patching and cyber hygiene,” King said.

Thursday’s warning comes a day after UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty told Congress at a separate hearing that the company paid $2,200 to hackers who breached its subsidiary Change Healthcare. Thousands of dollars in ransom. In 2023, a cyberattack also temporarily shut down MGM’s hotel reservation system and disrupted Clorox production.