The world at risk: Talking E&U security with the X-Force research experts

Today’s podcast is timely for a number of reasons. First, the theme for the final week of National Cyber Security Awareness Week (NCSAM), which concludes today, is “Protecting Critical Infrastructure From Cyber Threats.”

Second, and even more importantly, no other industry is at greater risk of a truly debilitating cyberattack than the energy and utilities (E&U) sector. According to a recent advisory from US-CERT, “since at least May 2017, threat actors have targeted government entities and the energy, water, aviation, nuclear and critical manufacturing sectors.”

Listen now as Nick Bradley and Michelle Alavarez, both of the X-Force Threat Research team, examine what makes the E&U industry such an attractive target for attackers. Questions examined in their wide-ranging conversation include:

• Does compliance with national and regional regulations equate to security?
• What are the most notable areas of risk for the E&U sector?
• Attacks on industrial control systems (ICS) increased by 110 percent in 2016 and are rising even more in 2017. What is behind this dramatic surge?
• Insider threats are a risk across many sectors. Is this also true of the E&U industry?
• What is the most prominent attack type targeting E&U systems?
• Where should the E&U industry focus its investments and resources?