Malware
Threats to the Energy Sector Literature Review Various studies have been conducted to assess the reasons behind the energy sector's vulnerability to malware attacks. According to Venkatachary, Prasad, and Samikannu (2018), malware attacks against power plants and clean-energy generators, especially
in the developed world, are because legacy generation systems adopted within the aforementioned clean-energy infrastructure are often not designed with cybersecurity in mind. A study by Sullivan and
Kamensky (2017) takes a similar position, opining that the existing physical security weaknesses witnessed in power transmission allow malicious actors to access grid control systems. Moroever, Sullivan and Kamensky (2017) mention
that the energy sector has, over the past few days, integrated most of its processes with the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, subsequently increasing cyber-attack surfaces.
In this precarious environment,
Onyeji, Bazilian, and Bronk (2014) note that the threat landscape has expanded significantly in recent years and today includes new players like nation-state actors who have demonstrated their willingness to target and disrupt daily life in the pursuit of nationalist goals and other nefarious agendas. Apart from nation-state actors in the cybersecurity landscape, individuals and activist groups still possess the capacity to disrupt various
functions in the energy sector, including gas operations and electric-power transmission. Another key point worth mentioning is that these threats are increasing when inconsistencies still exist in the capacity of utility companies to secure the appropriate funding and deploy the necessary personnel needed to build security systems that can stand the test of time and serve both present and future needs.
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