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TSA renews cybersecurity guidelines for pipelines

July 27, 2023 – Published on The Record

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) renewed cybersecurity regulations on Thursday for the operators of hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines and liquefied natural gas facilities.

The agency first issued of security directives in 2021 after the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline dominated headlines and caused a week-long run on gasoline along the East Coast. The attack kickstarted wide-ranging government efforts to better protect critical infrastructure. In May 2022, TSA reissued the the guidelines for critical pipelines after they expired.

The renewed guidelines contain minor changes but largely mirror the previous rules instituted after the Colonial Pipeline attack. Most of the changes close loopholes in the regulations or provide operators with increased flexibility in terms of how they protect their sites.

Several pipeline cybersecurity experts, including Chris Warner — senior operational technology security consultant at GuidePoint Security — told Recorded Future News that the directive also includes several minor updates, mostly centered on the idea that operators have to notify TSA of changes to their plans or pipeline operations.

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