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Water facility attack
Cyber Attacks Electric Charging Station Financial Data Nuclear Plant Ransomware attack Water facility attack

Cyber Attacks Are A Threat To The Energy Sector

 

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.
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Nuclear Terrorism
Blackout Cyber Attacks Iran Israel Natanz Nuclear Plant Nuclear Terrorism

Iran Natanz Nuclear Facility Struck by a Blackout Labelled as an Act of “Nuclear Terrorism”

 

On Sunday 11th of April, just hours after newly developed centrifuges, which could enrich uranium faster were launched in Iran, the underground nuclear facility of Natanz lost its control. Iran labeled the blackout as an act of "nuclear terrorism." It raised regional tensions on Sunday as the world powers proceed to negotiations over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal. 

Amid arbitration over the troubling nuclear agreement with the world powers, this is the most recent event. As Iranian officials examined the failure, several news organizations in Israel speculated that this was a cyber-attack. Although the reports did not include an evaluation source, the Israeli media have close ties with the military and intelligence agencies of the country. 

If Israel triggered the blackout, the strains between the two countries which were already involved in the shadow conflict over the wider Middle East would now be increased. The USA, Israel's primary security partner, has also been complicating attempts to re-enter the nuclear agreement to restrict Tehran so that a nuclear weapon couldn't be pursued if the US so wishes. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Sunday when reports about the blackout came up for talks with Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz.

Civil program spokesperson for nuclear programs Behrouz Kamalvandi told Iranian state TV that power in Natanz has been cut across all the installations which include above-ground workshops and underground halls. “We still do not know the reason for this electricity outage and have to look into it further,” he said. “Fortunately, there was no casualty or damage and there is no particular contamination or problem.” 

Malek Shariati Niasar, a Teheran-based politician who has been serving as spokesman on the Iranian energy committee, posted on Twitter that the incident seemed ‘very suspicious.’ He even said that lawmakers are looking for further information. The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, which monitors the Iranian program, said that it was "aware of the media reports" but still did not elaborate on it. 

Tehran has scrapped all restrictions off its uranium stock after President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018. It now enriches up to 20% purity, a technological move away from 90% firearms. Iran maintains a peaceful nuclear policy. 

Natanz was primarily constructed underground to resist enemy airstrikes. In 2002, when satellite images depicted Iran constructing its underground centrifugal plant on a location some 200 km to the south of Tehran, it became a flashpoint for Western fears of Iran's nuclear program. At its sophisticated centrifuge assembly plant in July, Natanz encountered a mysterious explosion that the officials later identified as sabotage. Now Iran is reconstructing deep inside a nearby mountain to recreate the facility. 

Kan, a Public broadcaster , said Israel would probably have been behind the attack, referencing Israel's supposed responsibility for the attacks in Stuxnet a decade ago. Though no source or description of how this was evaluated was included in any of the reports.
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