DHS escalates cybersecurity mandates for key US pipelines in wake of ransomware attack

The Department of Homeland Security mandated additional cybersecurity measures this week for critical US pipelines, a move meant to protect against ransomware and other known threats months after a crippling cyberattack on one of America’s most important pipelines.

On Monday, the Transportation Security Administration, a component of DHS, issued its second “security directive” for designated critical pipelines that transport hazardous liquids and natural gas.

The announcement comes nearly two months after TSA issued its first pipeline directive in a rush to better secure the industry after the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline exposed vulnerabilities in the pipeline sector. That attack had caused a days-long shutdown of