cybersecurity

Global cybersecurity spend in energy and critical national infrastructure in 2016 was £0.77 billion

Power utilities are poorly equipped to deal with increasingly frequent and unpredictable cybersecurity threats. That’s according to a survey of 1,200 global utilities conducted by consultancy EY, in which all organisations responding said their defences against hackers did not match up to their needs. It also found 58% of these companies in the energy sector […]

Organisations that fail to implement “effective” cybersecurity measures could be fined as much as £17 million or 4% of global turnover. The warning from the UK Government comes as it aims to ensure essential services like energy, water, transport, health and digital infrastructure firms are prepared to deal with the increasing number of cyber threats. […]

The UK’s energy industry is likely to have been targeted and “probably compromised” by state hackers. A leaked memo from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – part of intelligence gathering service GCHQ – specifically discussed threat to the energy and manufacturing sectors, according to technology site Motherboard, which obtained the document. It cites connections […]

GE Renewable Energy has signed an agreement to provide cybersecurity for wind farms in the US. It aims to secure the entire existing fleet of turbines as well as future wind farms for Invenergy by digitally upgrading and protecting them from hackers. The 10-year, $13 million (£10m) deal is said to be “one of the […]

Around two-thirds (65%) of UK businesses are concerned about cyber-attacks as new technologies like smart meters are being installed. According to a new PwC survey, 51% of more than 500 UK businesses questioned are worried their client data isn’t handled securely enough by their energy supplier. The concern comes as energy companies are in the […]

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has set out a new strategy to reduce the risks of cyber-attacks in the water industry. The ‘Water Sector Cyber Security’ strategy incorporates contributions from the sector and aims to guide activities across water companies and government. To realise the vision, the government and water sector […]

The biggest risk to cybersecurity are employees, according to a majority of global power and utility executives. That was the findings of a new survey from EY, which reveals 84% of leaders and IT executives and managers questioned said careless employee actions are a threat. Around 12% of the 1,735 people questioned believe their boards […]

UK spies are to reportedly monitor computer systems at new nuclear power plants built by Chinese companies. Reports claim British intelligence and security organisation GCHQ will be responsible for ensuring the UK’s energy network is not vulnerable to cyber attacks. The news comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently in the UK for […]

The US is investing more than $34 million (£22.1m) to improve the cybersecurity of the country’s electric grid and oil and gas infrastructures. The universities of Arkansas and Illinois will use the fund from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop technologies that will help protect energy delivery systems. The systems control the physical processes that result in […]