According to the latest report from PwC, two-thirds (65%) of UK businesses are worried about potential cyber threats within the energy sector that could lead to catastrophic data breaches or even service outages.
PwC polled 500 UK enterprises and found that over half of respondents are concerned with their data being mishandled by their provider. This is unsettling considering the energy sector is only becoming more data driven, focusing on developing smart energy systems to reduce carbon emissions and reduce energy costs.
Even worse, 70% of respondents operating within the industrial sector claim that they would switch suppliers if their energy provider suffered a data breach.
Attacks on power grids can have devastating consequences. Some of the most memorable cyber-attacks on the energy sector have been those aimed at Ukrainian power station, causing widespread outages throughout the country in December 2015 and 2016.
PwC also warned of suppliers being targeted, allowing cyber criminals to infiltrate numerous organizations at once through only a few targets. Organizations within the energy sector need to have a top to bottom review of their suppliers and need to limit the number of devices allowed to connect in their IT environment to ensure consumer data is secure from attack.
This report shows that the need for NERC CIP compliance is more urgent than ever before.
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