A ransomware attack on a US natural gas facility meant a pipeline had to be shut down for two days, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said. However, it did not name the facility or say when the attack happened. A malicious link sent to staff at the facility eventually caused the shutdown “of the entire pipeline asset”. It was so severe in part because the organisation was not prepared for such an attack, the DHS statement said. The incident was detailed in a security alert. , which revealed it to be a “spear-phishing” attack, in which individuals are sent fraudulent but believable scam messages. That let the attacker into the company’s IT network. How did that shut down a pipeline? Often, the “operational network” which runs computers in the factory is separated from the office IT – but not in this case, meaning the ransomware infection […]