According to a senior industry source, concern over cyber-attacks on power plants and electricity grids is "off the scale" in the UK energy sector. It just takes one component to fail for the entire chain to be disrupted, resulting in a cascade effect that affects our daily life.
As winter approaches, the supply chain that serves the UK's crucial demand for gas and power is experiencing a broad energy crisis. The global gas crisis, the UK's electricity system, has already forced numerous elderly nuclear power facilities to take unplanned maintenance outages, while persistent energy shortages are expected to force further industry shutdowns.
"The United Kingdom stands out in terms of cyber threats. Our energy system's cyber threats are over the charts," Steve Holliday stated. The UK parliament is reeling from a "sustained and aggressive" cyber-attack that has rendered MPs' email inaccessible.
So, why is the energy sector a target for cyber-attacks and why is it vulnerable?
Any effect on the energy sector can have far-reaching consequences for entire towns and even countries. An attack on a power plant or a pipeline can result in widespread blackouts, disrupting transportation, heating, and other important economic functions. According to Mohammed AlMohtadi, the chief information security officer at Abu Dhabi's Injazat, the risk in the energy business derives from the usage of old industrial control systems that haven't been modernized in years and aren't properly linked across systems.
So, how can big energy and utility businesses fall victim to cyber-attacks?
Typically, ransomware attacks are used to steal commercial secrets, confidential data, and intellectual property. "The energy sector is classified as vital infrastructure. The nation's financial and physical infrastructure might be crippled if it is infiltrated," warned Avinash Advani, founder, and CEO of CyberKnight, a Dubai-based cybersecurity firm. Potential targets include oil and gas infrastructure, nuclear power plants, electricity grids, water corporations, and utility companies that provide power, water, and sewage treatment to the population.
The Covid-19 epidemic has revealed the dark side of the energy sector. As more people work from home to stop the spread of the coronavirus, they unknowingly expose a company to cyber-attacks. The energy business should not underestimate groups who target facilities, given the devastating consequences of cyber attacks, they should focus on reinforcing their cybersecurity technology to guarantee that their firewall is safe and that any outdated, archaic computer systems and software they are employing are adequately protected.
