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Russian Hackers Shut Down a City's Power Grid

Posted: January 11, 2017 to Cybersecurity.

Tags: Data Breach, Digital Forensics, Cloud Security

Less than a month ago, a major city lost power for a little more than an hour just after midnight, affecting over 200,000 people.  A cybersecurity firm claims it was very similar to an incident from a year before, and that Russia is very likely behind it. The attack occurred on December 17 of last year and was one of about 6,500 attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and institutions in the last two months of 2016.  No official blame for the massive power outage has been levied at Russia, but the security firm investigating the incident on behalf of Ukrenergo, Ukraine's power company. ISSP, the company doing the investigation, says the attack is connected to the 2015 power attack along with other more recent attacks targeting the government, the national railway and other institutions.  ISSP said that really, the only difference between the former attack and the current one is that the attacks are more complex and better organized.  ISSP also warns that the attacks could be trial runs to use as sabotage elsewhere in the world.  

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About the Author

Craig Petronella, CEO and Founder of Petronella Technology Group
CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

CMMC-RP NC Licensed DFE MIT Certified CompTIA Security+ Expert Witness 15+ Books
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