‘Trojan Horse’ bug hit critical U.S. systems

When it comes to malware, one of the scariest situations to imagine is a bug worming its way around in your system, undetected. But when that system happens to contain critical infrastructure data for our country, the stakes suddenly become a lot higher.

‘Trojan Horse’ puts critical information at risk
Just like every other enterprise out there, the U.S. government places its information on servers. Unfortunately, systems that regulate critical infrastructure functions have been targeted and breached by a ‘Trojan Horse’ malware campaign, according to ABC. News of the breach comes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which reported the attack.

The potential repercussions of this malicious intrusion could be severe. The servers that were attacked are used for several functions that are critical to basic national functionality, including the regulation of oil and gas pipelines and the distribution of water and filtration systems. Public utilities like these play a pivotal role in daily life for all Americans. If a hacker were to shut one of these things down, the results could be devastating.

Just as surprising as the news of the hack is the fact that it’s been germinating since 2011, according to the DHS. But according to U.S. officials, it wasn’t until recently that the malware present in the system was harnessed to penetrate the software. That’s sending DHS workers into a tailspin of anxiety – particularly because they fear this attack may be orchestrated by the Russians.

Amid elevated threat sphere, retailers call for regulations
While scary, the breach is hardly the only malicious incursion out there. As the threats to businesses and governments mount, retailers are turning to Congress asking that they take legislative action to curb malicious activity. According to the group petitioning Congress, the legislation should come in the form of uniform standards for dealing with breaches.

“Congress should act to standardize reasonable, timely notification of sensitive data breaches whenever and wherever they occur,” the coalition petitioning Congress stated.

While the campaign appears to be gaining traction, it should also be considered that any legislative move against cybercrime is likely to be slow business. Therefore, it’s imperative that all enterprises out there take the necessary steps to keep themselves defended. One such step comes in the form of layered security offered by Faronics. It’s best to be proactive today instead of having regrets about lax security tomorrow.