Protecting the Power and Utilities Industry
As power and utilities companies modernize their critical infrastructure, they are integrating their OT and IT networks to encourage operational efficiency. However, the elimination of the physical separation—the so-called air gap—between the IT and OT environments presents a significant opportunity for cyber criminals. Energy is one of the top three sectors targeted for attack in the United States.2 Other geographies such as Europe, Australia, and Japan are experiencing similar trends, reporting significant increases in threats against power and utilities critical infrastructure.
Modernization of OT networks that control critical infrastructure is an enabler of this growing threat. With the dissolution of the so-called air gap, which once separated OT systems from the IT network and public internet, the risk of malicious attacks or even accidental exposure has never been greater