The Netflix series Zero Day has Americans wondering how feasible an attack on critical infrastructure is. The simple answer? Very. While the show’s impeccably coordinated scenario is unprecedented, research confirms that in 2024, threat actors from Russia, China, and North Korea targeted critical infrastructure, government agencies, and private enterprises. These attacks highlight the growing use of state-sponsored cyber espionage to gain long-term access and steal data for geopolitical advantage. I won’t touch on the homeland conspiracy theories from the show but I will say that attacks on critical infrastructure are more than Hollywood speculation. Cybersecurity professionals have long warned of these threats, and recent events only reinforce the urgency to address them. Digital transformation, more sophisticated attack techniques, and the shift from air-gapped to internet-facing infrastructure make these targets more vulnerable. The risks are rising, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Growing threats to critical infrastructure
Ransomware remains one of the biggest threats to critical infrastructure as attackers constantly develop new variants and techniques to evade detection. These attacks can cripple critical infrastructure, disrupt essential services and cause significant financial losses. The Colonial Pipeline attack in 2021, which disrupted fuel supplies across the Eastern United States, highlighted the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to ransomware. The attack is thought to have exploited a vulnerable remote entry point due to an employee’s compromised personal password. This incident underscores the importance of strong privilege user management and identity authentication to secure remote access and prevent unauthorized access to critical systems. Ransomware attacks typically use a Trojan disguised as a legitimate file, which the user is tricked into downloading or opening. Social engineering tactics, particularly phishing emails, are often used to deliver ransomware, exploiting human error to gain access to systems.
Data shows that T1486: Data Encrypted for Impact is one of the most prevalent ransomware techniques today. Threat actors are increasingly coupling encryption with advanced data exfiltration by using the T1071: Application Layer Protocol for more effective double extortions. Many of the most destructive high-profile ransomware attacks of 2024 and 2025 were campaigns that were able to move into critical infrastructure at high-value organizations with increasing regularity, showing that advanced persistent threats are also on the rise. T1082: System Information Discovery and T1071: Application Layer Protocol are two examples of cyber espionage campaigns that targeted critical infrastructure from threat actor groups such as APT29 from Russia, Volt Typhoon from China, and Lazarus Group from North Korea in 2024.
What the government and industry leaders are doing to protect the public
The tech industry didn’t need a Netflix series to open its eyes to the very real digital threat that exists to critical infrastructure. Governments and industry organizations have many initiatives to enhance cybersecurity and protect critical infrastructure, government agencies and private enterprises. Some of these, like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have existed for nearly 125 years and evolved over time to address shifts in technology.
The U.S. government has the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), which establishes a framework for collaboration between public and private sector partners to manage risks and improve security and resilience; the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which provides guidance, resources, and training to equip officials and personnel with essential cybersecurity skills; and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which offers voluntary guidelines to help organizations manage and mitigate cybersecurity risks.
Industry efforts complement these government initiatives through collaboration, investment, and education. Organizations are increasingly sharing information, threat intelligence, and best practices to strengthen collective cybersecurity defenses. Many companies have invested in advanced cybersecurity technology to enhance security measures and implemented cybersecurity awareness training to help employees recognize and avoid threats like phishing attacks. Together, these government and industry initiatives are critical in fortifying cybersecurity defenses against the growing risk to essential infrastructure.
As geopolitical tensions rise and cybercriminals refine their tactics, the risk of attacks on critical infrastructure is inevitable. However, the same technological advancements that enable these attacks also provide the tools to defend against them. Security teams are increasingly turning to proactive cybersecurity approaches, leveraging automation, attack path mapping, continuous validation, and attack simulation to stay ahead of attackers. These innovations help organizations identify and remediate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited — offering a defense strategy that is as dynamic as the threats it counters.
While Hollywood dramatizes the dangers of a large-scale cyber event, the truth is that we are not powerless against these risks. Cybersecurity is an ongoing battle, but with greater collaboration, investment, and adoption of cutting-edge defensive strategies, we can ensure that critical infrastructure remains resilient in the face of advanced threats.
Dr. Süleyman Özarslan is a co-founder of Picus Security and VP of Picus Labs, where he has significantly shaped the landscape of attack simulation and security validation. Holding a Ph.D. in information systems since 2002, Dr. Özarslan has enriched the field of cybersecurity with numerous academic papers, blogs, research reports, and whitepapers. Fueled by a strong enthusiasm for innovation and a lasting passion for fostering a proactive security culture, he’s turning hackers’ tricks into teachable moments.
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