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Cambodia’s infrastructure deemed susceptible to threat by cyberattack
The world is facing a growing threat from cybercrime, according to a report released yesterday by Moody’s Investors Service. The news could prove a major headache for Cambodia as terrorists, amateur hackers and even governments threaten to bring down infrastructure, as seen in last month’s attack on US power supplies, believed to have been launched by Russia-based hackers.
The Moody’s report says that the oil and gas, electric and water utility sectors face more cyberattacks as they digitise critical operations. The subject was raised by US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, during a meeting with his Russian counterpart. He told Vladimir Putin that critical infrastructure should be “off-limits” to cyberattacks, believed to be a refer- ence to the 16 areas of infrastructure deemed critical by the US Homeland Security Department. These include telecommunications, healthcare and energy. Putin said later the two leaders had agreed to “begin consultations” on cybersecurity, without giving specifics.
Cambodia ranked 122nd on the National Cyber Security Index last year, below Senegal. It had a cyber security score of 15.58, far below its Digital Development level of 40.69, meaning the ability to fight hackers was outstripped by the ease of attack.
By comparison, Thailand ranked 71st, with Vietnam in 80th place on the global index, that was developed by Estonia’s e-Governance Academy Foundation. The index measures the preparedness of countries to prevent cyber threats and manage cyber incidents.
Cambodia established a National Police Anti Cybercrime Department in 2015. Four years later hackers targeted the Facebook page of Prime Minister Hun Sen, along with that of the Information Ministry, taking down posts and replacing them with what the government called ‘misleading information’.
Hacking government sites now looks like a minor threat, given what happened in the US last month. Cyber-attackers shut down a major supply network run by the Colonial Pipeline Company and demanded a ransom. The brief closure interrupted gasoline deliveries and sparked panic-buying. Ukraine’s power grid and a Saudi petrochemical plant have also been the target of hackers.
Moody’s warns, “Attacks on supply chains can occur during the entire life cycle of a product or service, leaving them exposed to the weakest link in the chain. This only emphasizes the importance of risk management through the selection and monitoring of new and current supply chain providers.”
The ratings agency says electric utilities have marginally stronger defences against cyberattacks than oil and gas companies, while water and treatment facilities did not provide sufficient responses to be included in the report.
Moody’s says regulated utilities will be held more closely to account by the state, while not-for-profit utilities and others less regulated may have more lax cybersecurity defences as they try to keep down costs.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50876725/cambodias-infrastructure-deemed-susceptible-to-threat-by-cyberattack/