Why Energy and Utilities Are an Attractive Target
One of the reasons why E&U companies are susceptible to attack is because all the entry points are tied to regional grids or supervisory control and data acquisition networks. Once a bad actor penetrates this entry point, it may have access to partner, vendor, customer and government regulator data.
SCADA networks, with their legacy designs, bring unique security challenges because they are “frequently operating with outdated or insufficient security features” explain CDW experts Joel Vargas and Pedro Serrano.
Then, consider the motive of the malicious actors. Behind every E&U breach, there could be a complex web of organized crime, enemy nation-states, insiders and partners, hacktivists, competitors and skilled individual hackers. Threat actors may be looking to steal data or “score a financial windfall,” explain Vargas and Serrano. But whatever the motive, the consequences can be catastrophic — especially when you understand the extent to which E&U grids power entire cities. They are quite literally integral to the functioning of society.