“The Colonial Pipeline attack that revolutionised ransomware landscape” Deepthi Ratnayake, (2018)

By studying following article (https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/the-colonial-pipeline-attack-that-revolutionised-ransomware-landscape) I realize some important reasons information breach in the Colonial Pipeline.

1. Vulnerability of Legacy VPN Profile: Attacker gained entry into the Colonial Pipeline network through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) account using a legacy VPN profile and employee credentials. The use of a legacy VPN profile without multi-factor authentication (MFA) made it easier for the attackers to access the network.
2. Compromised Credentials: It's unclear how the attackers obtained the username, but the complex password may have been reused, and it was found on the dark web. Organizations should regularly monitor for compromised credentials and enforce password policies to prevent reuse.
3. Ransomware Attack: The attacker, identified as DarkSide, executed a ransomware attack, encrypting data and demanding a ransom of 75 Bitcoins (equivalent to approximately $4.4 million). While Colonial Pipeline did pay the ransom, the decryption tool provided by the attackers was inefficient.

Could it have been avoided? Yes, there are several measures that could have potentially prevented or mitigated this cyberattack:

1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enforce to the employees of Colonial Pipeline to using Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) for VPN accounts would have made it significantly more difficult for attackers to gain unauthorized access, even with stolen credentials.
2. Change Password Regularly: Implementing a policy of regularly changing complex passwords and monitoring the dark web for compromised credentials could have reduced the risk of password reuse.
3. Training and Awareness of Cyber Security: Providing employees with cybersecurity awareness training to recognize phishing attempts and other social engineering tactics can help prevent initial access by attackers.
4. Security Audits: Conducting regular security audits and assessments of the IT infrastructure can identify vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.
5. Backup and Disaster Recovery System: Organization need to implementing robust backup and disaster recovery system plan. It can help to recover from ransomware attacks without needing to pay a ransom.
6. Incident Response Plan (IRP): Having an efficient IRP in place allows organizations to respond quickly to security incidents, isolate affected systems, and minimize the impact.

It's important to note that no security measure can guarantee absolute protection against cyberattacks, but a combination of proactive security measures and a robust incident response plan can significantly reduce the risk and mitigate the impact of such incidents.