Review - TSA Publishes Pipeline Cybersecurity Directive

Yesterday the Transportation Security Administration published “Security Directive Pipeline-2021-01” designed to enhance the cybersecurity of critical pipelines. This action was taken in response to the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack earlier this month that shut down a major fuel supply pipeline for much of the East Coast.

The new Security Directive requires owners and operators of identified critical pipelines to:

• Report cybersecurity incidents to the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

• Designate a Cybersecurity Coordinator who is required to be available to TSA and CISA 24/7 to coordinate cybersecurity practices and address any incidents that arise.

• Review their current activities against TSA's recommendations for pipeline cybersecurity to assess cyber risks, identify any gaps, develop remediation measures, and report the results to TSA and CISA.

All information submitted to the TSA and CISA in compliance with this Directive will be treated as sensitive security information (SSI) in accordance with 49 CFR 1520. Essentially this means that it is exempt from public disclosure requirements and it will be protected in government and contractor systems as sensitive but unclassified information.

For a more detailed review, see my Substack blog, CFSN Indepth Analysis, https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/tsa-publishes-pipeline-cybersecurity (subscription required)