Energy & Utility - Security Intelligence

Water facilities warned to improve cybersecurity

3 min read - United States water facilities, which include 150,000 public water systems, have become an increasingly high-risk target for cyber criminals in recent years. This rising threat has demanded more attention and policies focused on improving cybersecurity. Water and wastewater systems are…

March 20, 2024

The UK energy sector faces an expanding OT threat landscape

3 min read - Critical infrastructure is under attack in almost every country, but especially in the United Kingdom. The UK was the most attacked country in Europe, which is already the region most impacted by cyber incidents. The energy industry is taking the…

February 6, 2024

Third-party breaches hit 90% of top global energy companies

3 min read - A new report from SecurityScorecard reveals a startling trend among the world’s top energy companies, with 90% suffering from data breaches through third parties over the last year. This statistic is particularly concerning given the crucial function these companies serve…

May 15, 2023

Today’s biggest threats against the energy grid

2 min read - Without the U.S. energy grid, life as we know it simply grinds to a halt. Businesses can’t serve customers. Homes don’t have power. Traffic lights no longer work. We depend on the grid operating reliably each and every day for…

April 13, 2023

2022 industry threat recap: Energy

3 min read - In 2022, 10.7% of observed cyberattacks targeted the energy industry, according to the X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2023. This puts energy in fourth place overall — the same as the year prior and behind manufacturing, finance and insurance and professional…

X-Force 2022 insights: An expanding OT threat landscape

9 min read - This post was written with contributions from Dave McMillen. So far 2022 has seen international cyber security agencies issuing multiple alerts about malicious Russian cyber operations and potential attacks on critical infrastructure, the discovery of two new OT-specific pieces of malware, Industroyer2 and InController/PipeDream, and the disclosure of many operational technology (OT) vulnerabilities. The OT cyber threat landscape is expanding dramatically and OT asset owners and operators, all of whom understand the need to keep critical infrastructures running safely, need to be aware…

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.…

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

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…

Roundup: 2021 Energy & Utility Data Breaches and Defenses in the News

3 min read - Ransomware is evolving. How long until it takes down operational technology? In May 2021, Colonial Pipeline, one of the largest fuel pipelines in the United States, faced a ransomware attack. The company, which transports more than 100 million gallons of…

The Weaponization of Operational Technology

8 min read - Contributed to this research: Adam Laurie and Sameer Koranne. Given the accelerating rise in operational technology (OT) threats, this blog will address some of the most common threats IBM Security X-Force is observing against organizations with OT networks, including ransomware…

Security Intelligence

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Topics

Water facilities warned to improve cybersecurity

The UK energy sector faces an expanding OT threat landscape

Third-party breaches hit 90% of top global energy companies

Today’s biggest threats against the energy grid

2022 industry threat recap: Energy

X-Force 2022 insights: An expanding OT threat landscape

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

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

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

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

Report: Cost of a Data Breach in Energy and Utilities

Roundup: 2021 Energy & Utility Data Breaches and Defenses in the News

The Weaponization of Operational Technology

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