Natural disasters can set the stage for cyberattacks

Buildings damaged by the storm are seen in the Germantown neighbourhood of Nashville, Tennessee, following devastating tornadoes on March 3, 2020. Experts say cybercriminals could take advantage of natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes to wreak havoc on critical infrastructure, including transportation, emergency response, water and sewer systems and hospitals. — Getty Images/TNS

An earthquake strikes a city in Indiana, causing chaos and destruction, sending emergency managers and first responders scrambling. Then the water system goes down, and everyone figures it’s because of the natural disaster.

But it isn’t. It’s a ransomware attack by cybercriminals, who are taking advantage of the disruption to infiltrate the water system’s network.