Who tried to hack Hawaii’s undersea cable?

Was a recently-thwarted cyberattack on a Hawaii undersea cable the work of financially-motivated cybercriminals, government-linked hackers, or another person? Hawaii officers are working with federal brokers to find out precisely that, in accordance with Frank Tempo, the administrator of the Hawaii Workplace of Homeland Safety. 

“That’s what we’re making an attempt to determine,” he stated, including even their intention is unclear. “Whether or not it was only a identified cybercriminal group that needed to compromise people or executives inside the group, or to put in numerous types of ransomware to carry their techniques hostage.”

The menace actors allegedly hacked a personal firm on the mainland, which had entry to the underwater cable’s servers, amongst different credentials. 

Tempo spoke with Dina Temple-Raston and Sean Powers of the Click on Right here podcast concerning the thwarted hack. The interview has been edited for size and readability, and an excerpt is obtainable on this week’s episode of the Click on Right here podcast.

Click on Right here: This would possibly sound odd to ask, however what does an undersea cable truly seem like? 

Frank Tempo: So, an undersea cable actually isn’t that enormous, and it stretches over hundreds of miles. The cables have a number of strands and one of the best ways that I might describe it’s as should you have been to take a look at one of many bigger energy cables that you just see over your own home. Normally inside these, you would possibly discover there’s truly a number of different cables within it. It’s wrapped round in a really sturdy metal coding. It seems to be like that.

CH: How a lot knowledge flows by means of these cables?

FP: They’re able to transmitting about 180,000 miles per second, at 400 gigabytes of knowledge per second. A predominant quantity of our communication goes by means of these cables. There’s extra reliance on them with the rise of cloud computing, streaming, and each personal and governmental operations being carried out on the cables. 

CH: If I used to be a menace actor, why would the cables be a well-liked goal?

FP: Once we take a look at the increasing assault floor that these cables present operating all through the world and reaching into most each authorities and residential, they supply a chance for, amongst different issues, financial espionage. There’s additionally an understanding of important infrastructure techniques which are linked to these cables. 

CH: If this assault had been profitable, what would have occurred?

FP: From a cyber perspective, we actually don’t know as a result of on the finish of the day, if it’s associated to financial espionage, or making an attempt to achieve info associated to Division of Protection property, that we would not discover an impression as a result of they don’t need us to see it. 

[Was it] only a identified cybercriminal group that needed to compromise people or executives inside the group, or did they wish to set up numerous types of ransomware to carry their techniques hostage, that’s what we’re making an attempt to determine. There’s quite a lot of issues that would have occurred, we simply don’t know but. 

CH: While you heard about this tried breach, what went by means of your thoughts?

FP: What went by means of my thoughts have been what are the impacts? What do we all know? What’s it that we have to have additional consciousness of in order that we might additional put together not solely leaders inside the state of Hawaii, but in addition different companies or entities that want to raised put together themselves if we knew how that compromise occurred. 

CH: Have you ever ever seen the same try earlier than this that received your hackles up concerning the cable?

FP: Right here within the state, no. We now have not seen one thing to the extent the place it has been centered on an entity that’s concerned with the cables. We now have seen extra lately entities or organizations inside metropolis and county governments which were impacted by totally different types of malware or ransomware. These incidents weren’t the meant or centered targets, however because of vulnerabilities inside their techniques, they have been compromised. I believe we’re more likely to see extra of that within the close to future.

CH: Was there any concern that the timing of this or the invention of this had something to do with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

FP: I’d guess that they’re nonetheless wanting into that. Nonetheless, from the attitude of our workplace, all of us want to pay attention to the geopolitical points which are occurring all through the world, however particularly associated to Ukraine. CISA director Jen Easterly spoke to this not way back that clearly what is happening in Ukraine issues as a result of there’s the sturdy chance that any retaliation primarily based on assist for Ukrainians might be within the type of a cyberattack, or not less than a disruption.