Cybersecurity in an Era of Persistent Threats and Hyperconnectivity - siemens-energy.com - Digital Asset Management
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Cybersecurity in an Era of Persistent Threats and Hyperconnectivity siemens-energy.com
Cybersecurity in an Era of Persistent Threats and Hyperconnectivity
In early 2021, a ransomware attack hit the Predictions and expectations for 2021 and
company that operates the Colonial Pipe- beyond:
line, a major pipeline carrying nearly half of
all fuel used on the American East Coast. 1. Tremendous growth in
Unable to quickly determine whether the networked digital devices will
attack had compromised its physical assets, continue to revolutionize the
the company made a hard choice, and shut energy sector.
down all fuel flow through the pipeline for
several days. Consumers panicked as fuel The advantages of digitized controls – the
prices surged in response to the supply industrial Internet of Things (IoT) – will
shortage created by the incident. The drive and accelerate widespread adoption.
impacts of the attack were so significant Digitalization is already managing renew-
that the United States Department of able energy’s variable outputs and
Energy (DOE) coordinated a whole-of-gov- squeezing every efficiency from legacy
ernment response to help Colonial resume generation, extraction and pipeline equip-
operations quickly and safely, while moving ment. Future business models – from elec-
fuel supplies to the most affected regions. tric car sharing to smart city infrastructure
to prosumer networks – will depend even
For energy companies and their customers, more heavily on industrial IoT.
the Colonial Pipeline attack should be a
wake-up call. In the current era, there is no 2. Attacks against the energy
such thing as reliability without cybersecu- sector will get more frequent
rity. Cyber defenses are a make-or-break and severe.
business competency.
The energy sector makes an attractive
To avoid crises that require brute-force target for hackers – some for profit, and
solutions like Colonial Pipeline’s total shut- some for geopolitical reasons. Every
down, companies need to invest in moni- indication suggests attacks will persist and
toring and detection capabilities that match will grow more sophisticated as criminal
the scope of their digitally connected indus- enterprises and nation-states look to take
trial assets. As companies retrofit legacy critical infrastructure hostage.
equipment to enable remote operations,
automation, and other efficiencies, many 3. Cybersecurity will become
will be hard-pressed to keep defenses up to a competitive advantage.
the challenge. Meanwhile, attackers won’t
sit still. With a bevy of examples showing the high
cost of cyber breaches, investors and
For boards, executives and investors navi- customers will consider cybersecurity a
gating this ever-changing threat environ- routine measure of reliability. Meanwhile,
ment, it’s well worth a look over the horizon the companies that lean into maturing
to see what to expect in industrial cyberse- cybersecurity will be better positioned to
curity – and how to secure the benefits of aggressively pursue innovations and effi-
the ongoing energy revolution. ciencies that depend on hyperconnected
industrial IOT.
1
Cybersecurity in an Era of Persistent Threats and Hyperconnectivity
4. Continuous change will 7. Artificial intelligence and
put a premium on machine learning will make
adaptability. strong defenses more
affordable.
As the industry adds new assets and
attackers add new threats, CISOs will face a Cyber security talent is scarce and expen-
steep challenge staying current, integrating sive so leveraging each analyst is key to
new systems, and winning the arms race. managing costs. Meanwhile, response time
Adaptability will need to be a feature of any matters when blocking attacks that move at
ongoing defenses. the speed of light. Automation to intelli-
gently process and analyze billions of data
points for perpetual vigilance will help
5. Remote operation and answer both the economic and the practical
automation will continue to demands on cybersecurity.
scale up.
8. Cybersecurity as a service
Changes accelerated by the COVID crisis will will help small and mid-sized
continue to shape the future of work, with businesses keep up.
automation and digitized equipment
making each individual worker more Small and midsized companies face the
powerful – and their tools more important same global threats as major industry
to protect. leaders – but with smaller budgets. For
companies that cannot afford R&D or
in-house custom solutions, built for purpose
6. OT-IT mismatches will AI based cybersecurity systems and third-
remain a pain point. party monitoring and detection services will
help make strong cybersecurity more acces-
Cybersecurity for operating technologies sible.
demands different strategies than cyberse-
curity for information technologies. Compa- 9. Strong cybersecurity will
nies integrating IoT systems will need to forge strong partnerships.
understand and implement both within
unified defenses. Achieving integration in Value chains are only as strong as their
an industry where heterogenous equipment weakest link. As companies mature their
designed decades before cyber was a internal cybersecurity, they will also look to
concern will pose a headache for many shore up their partners upstream and down-
companies. stream.
2Published by and copyright © 2021: Siemens Energy, Inc. 4400 Alafaya Trail Orlando, FL 32826-2399, USA The technical data presented in this document is based on an actual case or on as-designed parameters, and therefore should not be relied upon for any specific application and does not constitute a performance guarantee for any projects. Actual results are dependent on variable conditions. Accordingly, Siemens does not make representations, warranties, or assurances as to the accuracy, currency or completeness of the content contained herein. If requested, we will provide specific technical data or specifications with respect to any customer‘s particular applications. Our company is constantly involved in engineering and development.For that reason, we reserve the right to modify, at any time, the technology and product specifications contained herein. Siemens Energy is a trademark licensed by Siemens AG.
You can also read
