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Trustwave and Cybereason Merge to Form Global MDR Powerhouse for Unparalleled Cybersecurity Value. Learn More
Cybersecurity professionals often point out that threat actors do not differentiate when choosing a victim. To an attacker, a hospital is as useful a target as a law firm or even a mining operation.
After all, a mining company has the same attributes that make it as interesting as any other target: proprietary data and customer information, and it must stay in operation. All of which an attacker can exploit for financial gain.
Compounding the problem for the mining industry is, like almost every industry, the fact it has rapidly adopted digital technologies creating an extensive surface threat landscape. This situation becomes crucial to secure mining operations against cyber threats.
Let's explore some key cybersecurity trends affecting mining companies and start with a focus on operational disruption.
Operational disruption stands out as one of the most critical cybersecurity threats facing the mining industry. After all, mining operations have been disrupted for non-cyber reasons, labor issues, mining accidents, etc., so we completely understand the impact caused by a disruption. However, a stoppage is a stoppage, and here are a couple of examples of ransomware groups disrupting critical systems:
Data Theft and breaches are also key cybersecurity threats within the mining industry, with threat actors often pairing ransomware and phishing attacks. In particular, phishing is increasingly sophisticated as an initial access vector, often bypassing conventional security measures, leading to data breaches by itself or facilitating more severe ransomware attacks.
Artificial intelligence and free apps like ChatGPT now make phishing and other email-based attacks even more difficult to spot, as these can create well-written, grammatically correct messages that an employee might not consider suspicious. Increasing the likelihood of clicking on a link or attachment.
Trustwave SpiderLabs researchers have continually been observing novel techniques such as HTML Smuggling, RPMSG phishing delivery, QR code phishing techniques, Cloudflare R2 public buckets phishing delivery, and new techniques in malicious PDF delivery.
Aside from the usual attacks focusing on the monetization of personal identities, threat actors also target mining companies to steal proprietary data such as exploration data and geological surveys.
Mining operations, like many others, also face significant third-party and supplier risks. These risks happen when external entities involved in a mining company's operations, such as software providers, IT service providers, Operational Technology (OT), and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, become compromised. Attackers exploit these vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access, potentially exposing sensitive data and disrupting critical operations.
For example, Barrick Gold Corp. faced a significant cybersecurity breach in 2019 perpetrated by the Russian threat actor Clop. Clop exploited a vulnerability in the third-party file-sharing system MOVEit. The MOVEit breach led to large-scale data theft, impacting hundreds of corporations and nearly 20 million individuals globally, including Barrick.
Mining operations are becoming vulnerable to cyberattacks for many of the same reasons as in all legacy manufacturing and critical infrastructure organizations. Instead of strictly relying on traditional analog and mechanical methods, mining firms have become more digitized.
Some of the advancements adopted include:
The move toward digitization without a corresponding increase in cybersecurity capabilities and the growing number of threat groups capable of taking advantage of this gap means companies must proactively address cybersecurity risks. Strengthening defenses, investing in robust incident response plans, and fostering a culture of security awareness are crucial steps. As the industry continues to digitize, vigilance against cyber threats remains paramount.
Remember: Cybersecurity is not just an IT issue - it's a business imperative.
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