The Biden administration’s action to address the recent cyberattack against Colonial Pipeline was too little, too late. The attack by overseas hackers was a threat to our national security that affected over 45% of the fuel consumed by the East Coast over a period of five days.
Incredibly, the CEO of the pipeline was allowed to pay the ransom demand of the hackers, against the advice of U.S. officials and through the conspicuous absence of federal enforcement measures.
It is incomprehensible that private companies are allowed to make decisions that will affect the critical infrastructure of America without any oversight by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The lack of federal safeguards over our energy sources is of grave concern. Immediate steps should be taken to prevent our country’s welfare from being compromised by private companies whose main interest is not national security but profits.
After the cyberattack, the Biden administration issued new regulations for the pipeline industry, requiring cyber security assessments and reports of breaches to the federal government. However, these measures will not prevent private companies from making future decisions that affect our national security.
Once a cyberattack against our energy supply, our electric grids, or our transportation system is suspected, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI should take over immediately, as they would for any criminal activity involving national security.