In order to keep up, more companies, including electric utilities and manufacturers, are being called to digitize their operations to make them more effective and efficient. Although the push toward digitization has brought countless benefits and advantages, it has also bred great risk as cybersecurity threats have grown more sophisticated.
A new report by industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos brings the cybersecurity threat to the fore, reporting that cybersecurity threats have grown more aggressive.
Heading into the new Dragos' Year in Review, the thought was that any uptick in cyberattacks on energy infrastructure might be tied to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. government even called for the energy sector to put its shields up in preparation of Russia launching a retaliatory attack against the U.S. for its sanctions. However, the Dragos report found that the cyberthreats against the U.S. energy sector have been "primarily focused on reconnaissance."
"Dragos has observed fewer cyberfocused attacks on OT in U.S. energy sectors than predicted at the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine," the report says.
In the U.S. and European energy sectors, renewable energy companies seem to attract the most cyberattacks. Overall, across industries, ransomware attacks increased by more than 87%, and 72% of all ransomware attacks targeted manufacturing entities.
Of the nearly 600 ransomware attacks tracked by Dragos in 2022, roughly 10 percent all attacks targeted the energy sector and oil and gas companies.
Upticks in serious ransomware attacks are likely to be the story of Dragos year-end reports for the foreseeable future. Cyber threats continue to be a focal stressor for an energy sector moving rapidly toward full digitization. How is your company fortifying against the growing threat of attacks?