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No industry is immune to the threat of cybercrime. Every single sector is at risk for a damaging data or network breach, leading to a costly cleanup process. While people might associate cyberattacks most closely with large-scale attacks on organizations housing financial data, other verticals operate within the crosshairs of data thieves - many not even aware of the potential danger. The energy industry is one such sector, housing a great deal of databases and systems that may not appear enticing to cybercriminals at first glance. However, utility companies and other members of this industry are increasingly finding themselves under siege by network infiltrators, driving the need for comprehensive security solutions.

According to U.S. News & World Report, concern regarding data breaches in the energy space has risen significantly in recent months and years. The news outlet cited an industry study which found that cybersecurity is now considered a top-five worry for electric companies in the United States. Despite the growing recognition that protective measures must be taken, few organizations are implementing adequate solutions. Fewer than one-third of the study's respondents stated that their organization deployed integrated security systems that offered monitoring capabilities and fallback options in case of component failure.

One of the greatest fears surrounding the energy industry's lack of proper cybersecurity solutions is the potential for criminals to take large swathes of the nation's electricity infrastructure offline following a network breach. In his keynote speech at the recent Black Hat USA 2014 conference, In-Q-Tel Chief Information Security Officer Dan Greer cited the need for greater cybersecurity solutions in this space as a major priority, Emergency Management magazine reported.

"Critical infrastructure systems' dependence on the Internet and electrical grid leaves them open to cyberattack, so their managers and network administrators should find ways to operate them off the grid, if necessary," the source stated.

Addressing more common breaches
While an attack of this nature is a worst-case scenario, organizations in the energy space should be cognizant of the garden-variety attacks that are more likely to occur. Cybercriminals may be more interested in stealing sensitive data such as financial records and listening in on internal communications than causing havoc by bringing down electrical grids. That is why it's imperative that energy industry members take into account these kinds of threats when developing a cybersecurity strategy.

Part of any reliable plan for safeguarding sensitive data is the use of encryption. Business leaders should be certain that they protect information both when it is in transit and at rest. For the former, SSL certificates have long been the industry standard for locking down data packets and preventing unauthorized individuals from accessing information on the move. In this day and age, every type of company needs to have a plan in place to mitigate the effects of a network breach. SSL helps ensure the integrity of sensitive data by keeping it encrypted and hidden from unwanted parties.

Protect critical information in the energy industry with SSL certificates.

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Thawte
The Gateway
Century Lane
Century City, 7441
Cape Town
South Africa

Postal Address:
P O Box 15986
Panorama 7500
Cape Town
South Africa

Call: +353 1 793 9141
Fax: +27 21 819 2950