Russia benefits politically from the chaos of this attack and Russia has the power and duty to do something about such hacks, even if the weapon is in someone else’s hands.

With the announcement that the Colonial Pipeline will reopen soon, the short-term effect of the Colonial cyberattack on gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum product prices is likely to be mildly escalatory and short-lived, but it exposes the soft underbelly of the nation’s critical energy infrastructure and the need for a more robust cybersecurity strategy to protect it.

The proliferation of offensive cyber capabilities (OCC) presents an expanding set of risks to states and challenges commitments to protect openness, security, and stability in cyberspace. Access as a Service firms offer various forms of “access” to target data or systems, and through these business practices are creating and selling OCC at an alarming rate. It is imperative that governments reevaluate their approach to countering the proliferation of OCC.