Administration Warns Energy Companies to Beef Up Security
Energy companies should increase security at their drilling sites, fuel-production plants and pipelines to guard against potential retaliation due to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the administration said recently (POLITICO Pro, subscription).
What’s going on: An advisory sent by the Transportation Security Administration shortly after the initial Feb. 28 strikes that killed Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials warned that “[r]ecent coordinated strikes against Iran and retaliatory missile attacks targeting U.S. and Israeli interests have increased the potential for threats to the homeland, including cyberattacks, acts of violence and hate crimes.”
- While there aren’t any indications of an imminent strike on energy infrastructure, following the American and Israeli attacks, Iran closed the critical Strait of Hormuz and hit a Qatari natural gas plant and a Saudi fuel refinery.
The details: “The advisory urged companies to review their plans for common types of attacks—both physical and online. That includes active shooters, ransomware and phishing. It also says companies should ensure employees have contact information for local law enforcement and the closest FBI field office.”
The precedent: Pipelines have been terrorist targets in the past.
- In 2021, a cyberattack disrupted the Colonial Pipeline, and extremists have targeted electrical grid infrastructure, causing blackouts.