Data breaches in the energy sector are the fifth most expensive after those in healthcare, financial services, pharmaceuticals and technology, according to the 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report. Read articles on cybersecurity for energy & utilities, from securing operational technology (OT) environments to protecting utilities from cyber threats.
Latest Articles

One year after the Colonial Pipeline attack, regulation is still a problem

3 min read - The Colonial Pipeline cyberattack is still causing ripples. Some of these federal mandates may mark major changes for operational technology (OT) cybersecurity. The privately held Colonial Pipeline company, which provides nearly half of the fuel used by the East Coast — gasoline, heating oil, jet fuel and fuel for the military totaling around 100 million gallons a day — was hit by a double-extortion ransomware attack by a DarkSide group in May of 2021. In reaction, the company shut down…

Lessons learned by 2022 cyberattacks: X-Force Threat Intelligence Report

3 min read - Every year, the IBM Security X-Force team of cybersecurity experts mines billions of data points to reveal today’s most urgent security statistics and trends. This year’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2022 digs into attack types, infection vectors, top threat actors, malware trends and industry-specific insights. This year, a new industry took the infamous top spot: manufacturing. For the first time in over five years, finance and insurance were not the top-attacked industries in 2021, as manufacturing overtook them by a…

A New Cybersecurity Executive Order Puts the Heat on Critical Infrastructure Suppliers

3 min read - Ransomware. Five years ago, the cybersecurity community knew that term well, although among others it was far from dinner table conversation. Times have changed. Since early 2020, ransomware has hit a slew of headlines. People inside and outside of the security industry are talking about it, and many have experienced the ransomware pain firsthand. The IBM Security 2021 Cost of a Data Breach report notes that ransomware attacks cost on average $4.62 million, excluding the cost of paying the ransom.…

Report: Cost of a Data Breach in Energy and Utilities

4 min read - On average, the cost of a data breach rose by 10% from 2020 to 2021. The energy industry ranked fifth in data breach costs, surpassed only by the health care, financial, pharmaceutical and technology verticals, according to the 17th annual Cost of a Data Breach Report. Some energy cybersecurity measures can help reduce the cost of a data breach in a big way. For example, take a look at zero trust deployments, artificial intelligence and automation. It's important to better…

Failed to load data

Topic updates

Get email updates and stay ahead of the latest threats to the security landscape, thought leadership and research.
Subscribe today