Book Image

Critical Infrastructure Security

By : Soledad Antelada Toledano
Book Image

Critical Infrastructure Security

By: Soledad Antelada Toledano

Overview of this book

Discover the core of cybersecurity through gripping real-world accounts of the most common assaults on critical infrastructure – the body of vital systems, networks, and assets so essential that their continued operation is required to ensure the security of a nation, its economy, and the public’s health and safety – with this guide to understanding cybersecurity principles. From an introduction to critical infrastructure and cybersecurity concepts to the most common types of attacks, this book takes you through the life cycle of a vulnerability and how to assess and manage it. You’ll study real-world cybersecurity breaches, each incident providing insights into the principles and practical lessons for cyber defenders striving to prevent future breaches. From DDoS to APTs, the book examines how each threat activates, operates, and succeeds. Additionally, you’ll analyze the risks posed by computational paradigms, such as the advancement of AI and quantum computing, to legacy infrastructure. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to identify key cybersecurity principles that can help mitigate evolving attacks to critical infrastructure.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
1
Part 1: Introduction to Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Concepts
5
Part 2: Dissecting Cyberattacks on CI
8
Part 3: Protecting Critical Infrastructure
12
Part 4: What’s Next

WannaCry (2017)

WannaCry was a ransomware attack that struck globally in May 2017, affecting more than 200,000 computers across 150 countries in just a few days. The attack exploited vulnerabilities in Windows operating systems to spread and encrypt files on infected machines.

Here’s a description of the WannaCry attack:

Technical Description

Initial compromise

The initial misconception about WannaCry’s spread was that it was primarily through phishing emails. However, as further analysis took place, it became clear that the primary mechanism of the rapid global propagation was the exploitation of an SMB vulnerability (CVE-2017-0144) via the EternalBlue exploit of systems that had an open (Server Message Block) port (specifically, port 445) to the public internet.

CVE-2017-0144

CVE-2017-0144 is a specific...