New cybersecurity order issued for US pipeline operators

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security has announced new requirements for U.S. pipeline operators to bolster cybersecurity following a May ransomware attack that disrupted gas delivery across the East Coast.

The department says in a statement issued Tuesday it will require operators of federally designated critical pipelines to implement “specific mitigation measures” to prevent ransomware attacks and other cyber intrusions.

RELATED: Local farmers to discuss strengthening cybersecurity after JBS cyberattack

Operators must also implement contingency plans and conduct what the department calls a “cybersecurity architecture design review.”

The department hasn’t released further details about the guidance, which comes after another directive issued weeks after the May 7 attack on Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline.