What Utilities Need to Know About Cyber Threats

We've all heard about it in the news. Cybercriminals are targeting municipal utilities, and it won't be long before they strike again. You may have heard about them, but do you know what a cyber threat is?

Cybercriminals are targeting municipal utilities like yours because they are counting on the fact that you won't know about the latest threats or that you won't take steps to avoid these threats. So the first step in keeping your community’s information safe in your CIS is learning what a cyber threat is and how your municipal utility can stop cyber threats before they happen.

Definition of a Cyber Threat on Municipal Utilities

Cyber threats are possible malicious acts by a bad actor who unlawfully tries to disrupt or impact a utility's digital organizational operations. A cyber threat can be in the form of unauthorized access, disclosure, destruction, modification of information, and/or denial of service. 

Cyber threats either come from inside your organization or outside of your organization. Your employees are your first line of defense against cyber threats. However, in several instances, employees or vendors have attempted to disrupt an organization's digital operations. These threats could come from a disgruntled employee, someone trying to make money, or even someone who wants to test his skills.

If the threat comes from outside of your organization, then it could be one of the following kinds of bad actors. National governments will use cyber threats to create unrest in a rival nation. These threats can be anything from disruptive propaganda to severe disruptions that can harm the nation's infrastructure or people. Terrorists use cyber threats to spread terror and create unrest to weaken a country.   And, organized crime and industrial spies use cyber threats to make money, and it's big b business. Hackers round out this list of external bad actors. Some hackers will hack as a hobby, some will hack for political reasons (hacktivist), and some will hack for profit. Whatever the reason, bad actors use cyber threats can disrupt a utility's digital operations.

11 Examples of Possible Cyber threats to Utilities

No matter if the threat comes from inside your organization or out, the list below briefly outlines some of the dangers your utility could be facing.

Simple Tips to Keep Your Utility Safe from Cyber Threats

There's no doubt about it; cybercriminals are targeting utilities. Bad actors think you're a great target because you store your community's personal and banking information. And they also know that smaller businesses, like your utility, may not have as much security as larger companies do. So, what can you do to keep your community's information out of the hands of bad actors?

First, you need to assess your risk and identify your weaknesses. Every system has flaws, and it could be something as simple as not updating your software. But, no matter the weakness, you can't fix the problem if you don't know what it is. Starting with a thorough assessment is the first step to understanding what you need to do to protect your community.  

Second, use what you've learned from your assessment to establish policies and practices that will keep your community's information safe. Once these policies are in place, train your staff in how to spot a cyber threat. As said before, you and your staff are the first line of defense in keeping your community's information out of the hands of cybercriminals, and knowing what to do and what not to do will help you do just that.

Third, you need to secure your network. Now, you might think that this step will be expensive and complicated, but you'll be surprised how easy and inexpensive it can be to protect your utility from cyber threats. As a matter of fact, in one of our blog posts, we've outlined 11 affordable steps you can take to protect your municipal utility's network and critical systems.

Finally, if you're like most small- to medium-sized utilities, you're always trying to do more with less. That's why having a managed detection, and response security solution like Covalence on your side will keep your organization's digital operations safe. Covalence is a transparent, holistic managed detection and response system that plugs all the gaps in your security. You'll have software, hardware, and human threat hunter protection 24/7  in a simple, easy-to-deploy, and cost-effective platform. Covalence has won many cyber security awards of excellence, and you can have this outstanding security solution working for your community at a very affordable price.