Cyber Defense eMagazine May 2019

According to KPMG’s Global Sector Head of Energy and Natural Resources, Regina Mayor,
"Technology-driven opportunities in the power and utilities sector have also opened the door for
significant risks and cyber threats, which feature highly on CEOs’ and board agendas.”
Where is the security focus?
Keeping operations running and ensuring the safe and continuous flow of power has always been at the
top of the agenda for power and utility companies. However, the escalation of cyber threats and attacks
have caused company boards and C-level leadership to reprioritize some of their efforts.
In the recent years, the rise of nation state-based adversaries, motivated by the ability to shut down the
operation and cut the flow of power, has driven much of the conversation. An emerging issue for power
and utility companies these days is protecting customer data. Meeting customer expectations around
data security is a priority as this directly impacts business performance and company value. For a
distributed utility network with multiple access points, both are challenging without the right approach.
In KPMG’s report, the firm highlights the role security plays in operations today, stating, “CEOs
understand the importance of protecting customer data but emphasize the need to better meet customer
expectations. Nearly two-thirds of all CEOs in the survey said that protecting customer data is critical to
enabling growth in their future customer base.”
How are they adjusting?
The good news is that power and utility companies have recognized the need for increased vigilance
across the grid and are investing heavily in these areas. Cybersecurity specialists are among the most
in-demand positions for power and utility companies.
With a well-earned reputation as technology laggards, the utility industry is giving a much greater effort
to modernize more quickly and keep pace with the technological developments of other industries.
To address the issue of cybersecurity in any sort of meaningful way, utility companies need to adopt a
big picture view and assess which assets need to be protected, where they are in the network, how the
workforce should interact with those assets, and more. They then need to design a holistic solution that
coordinates across silos to secure these assets. Industrial security today isn’t insular. It’s not homegrown.
It’s collaborative and intentional.
With every new opportunity comes a new threat. The electric grid is more robust and stable than ever
before, but emerging cyber threats have made life more complicated for those charged with the safe
delivery of this critical resource.
Being vigilant and making a commitment to cyber defenses and technology will allow power and utility
companies to keep pace with adversaries and increase their ability to thwart attacks on their unique and
vital infrastructure.
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