US, UK, And Australia Issue Joint Cybersecurity Advisory On Ransomware Threat To Critical Infrastructure

On February 9, 2022 the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia issued a joint Cybersecurity Advisory on the "Increased Globalized Threat of Ransomware" against critical infrastructure sectors ("Advisory"). The Advisory lists trends in cyber-criminal activity from the last year and also provides mitigation strategies and recommendations to reduce the risk of compromise and the impact of ransomware incidents.

The Advisory Illustrates That Critical Infrastructure Is A Global Target

Within the United States, the Advisory notes there have been ransomware attacks against "14 of the 16 U.S. critical infrastructure sectors," including the Defense Industrial Base, Emergency Services, Food and Agriculture, Government Facilities, and Information Technology Sectors. Australia reports targeting of sectors including Healthcare and Medical, Financial Services and Markets, Higher Education and Research, and Energy, while the United Kingdom notes Education is one of the top