Energy efficiency and availability is a major concern for all countries and governments. The electric grid is a vital sector, and any malfunctions will create ripple effects on any nation’s economy. As the grid is heavily dependent on cyber-enabled technologies and a vast chain of suppliers, contractors, and partners, the ability to safeguard the availability and reliability of the grid is crucial...

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks occur when adversaries overwhelm a connected target’s resources, aiming to make it unavailable. Learning the best strategies to protect from DDoS attacks is critical to energy grid cybersecurity. A well-planned DDoS attack on the grid could halt essential services, cause substantial disruptions to households and businesses, and prove incredibly costly...

Have you ever considered that even before you enjoy the first sip of your favorite morning beverage, you have probably interacted with at least half of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors that keep a nation running? In one way or another, the simple act of brewing a cup of tea would probably not be possible without interacting with water, energy, manufacturing, food and agriculture, waste...

2023 saw two concerning attacks on public water systems, highlighting the fragility and risk to utility systems. In Pennsylvania, malicious hackers breached the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa system the night after Thanksgiving. The criminals were making a political statement: the technology used to manage water pressure was developed by Israel, and the criminals used this opportunity to...

US federal agencies have teamed up to release a cybersecurity best practice guidance for the water and wastewater sector (WWS). The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have published the guide in an attempt to promote cybersecurity resilience and improve incident response in the WWS...

At Tripwire's recent Energy and NERC Compliance Working Group, we had the opportunity to speak with the Manager of Gas Measurement, Controls, & Cybersecurity at a large energy company. More specifically, we focused on SCADA and field assets of gas Operational Technology. The experience at the management level of such an organization provided a wealth of knowledge for the attendees. SCADA...

Cloud providers are becoming a core part of IT infrastructure. Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world's biggest cloud provider, is used by millions of organizations worldwide and is commonly used to run sensitive and mission-critical workloads. This makes it critical for IT and security professionals to understand the basics of AWS security and take measures to protect their data and workloads. As a...

Cloud optimization is the process of correctly selecting and assigning the right resources to a workload or application with the ultimate goal of minimizing costs while improving performance and efficiency. These resources can range from computational power, memory, and storage to network capabilities. The cloud optimization process involves continuously monitoring, analyzing, and fine-tuning...

The security industry is at a critical juncture. Capturing the state of affairs is a recent report released by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or ISC2. “A perfect storm” As they state in their Executive Summary, “Our study shows that a perfect storm of economic uncertainty, rapidly emerging technologies, fragmented regulations and ever-widening workforce and...

Winter is coming In the ever-evolving landscape of cloud computing, ensuring robust security measures has never been more important. In the new ISO 27001:2022 standard, there is a new requirement for organisations to establish control of their Cloud services, which includes every flavor of cloud from Software as a Service (SaaS) to Platform as a Service (PaaS). Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a...

More decision-makers are investing in grid modernization efforts, knowing that doing so is necessary for keeping pace with modern demands. For example, smart grid fault-detection sensors could warn utility company providers of problems in real time, preventing costly and inconvenient outages. Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) can also improve stability. An IoT grid-monitoring approach...

The capabilities of cloud computing have changed the digital landscape significantly, and the popularity of cloud solutions only continues to increase. According to Gartner , the market for public cloud services is expected to surpass 700 billion USD by the end of 2024. The growth of cloud technologies presents a wealth of new opportunities for IT teams but also brings a host of security...

Attacks against industrial control systems (ICS) are on the rise. Cyberattacks are more prevalent, creative and faster than ever. So, understanding attackers’ tactics is crucial. The IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2023 highlights that backdoor deployments enabling remote access to ICS systems were the most common type of attacker action in 2022. The positive news is that 67% of...

Electric grids are part of every nation’s critical infrastructure. Every societal activity and business depends on reliable and safe electricity distribution. The US electric grid is a huge network of powerlines, distribution hubs, and renewable and non-renewable energy generators that is increasingly exposed to cyber-physical risks due to the accelerated reliance on cyber-enabled systems and IoT...

The evolution of the cyber threat landscape highlights the need for organizations to strengthen their ability to identify, analyze, and evaluate cyber risks before they evolve into security incidents. Known unpatched vulnerabilities are often exploited by criminals to penetrate Industrial Control Systems (ICS) environments and disrupt critical operations. Although the terms “patch management” and...

How to Build an Effective ICS Security Program Of all the different areas of cybersecurity, not many are as important, or have as far-reaching consequences as industrial control systems (ICS) security. While most relevant organizations would agree that ICS security is a significant concern for their operations, it is easier said than done. Many find it difficult to put into practice the measures...

Before the revolution of Information Technology (IT), the world experienced the revolution of Operational Technology (OT). Operational Technology is the combination of hardware and software that controls and operates the physical mechanisms of industry. OT systems play an important role in the water, manufacturing, power, and distribution systems that transformed the industry into the modern age...

A federal grand jury has indicted a former employee of a contractor operating a California town's wastewater treatment facility , alleging that he remotely turned off critical systems and could have endangered public health and safety. 53-year-old Rambler Gallor of Tracy, California, held a full-time position at a Massachusetts company that was contracted by the town of Discovery Bay to operate...

It’s no secret that the U.S. power grid is one of the main foundations of the nation’s economy, infrastructure, and daily way of life. Now that almost everything is digitized, it is hinging on it even more. We wouldn’t be able to use even most vending machines (not to mention cell towers or the internet) without a working electrical supply, and the importance of keeping it safe cannot be...

Back in 2015, we published an article about the apparent perils of driverless cars. At that time, the newness and novelty of sitting back and allowing a car to drive you to your destination created a source of criminal fascination for some, and a nightmare for others. It has been eight years since the original article was published, so perhaps it is time to revisit the topic to see if driverless...