CYBER SECURITY
The utility network in Australia is undoubtedly critical to our nation, with powerlines spanning over 5,000km from Port Douglas to Tasmania – one of the world’s longest single electricity grids. The rise in cybercrime, combined with impact assessments from global case studies, indicate that a targeted attack against a major Australian critical infrastructure provider could occur at any time. Both the opportunity and the incentive for such an attack are significant, but the ability of Australian utilities to prevent, detect or respond to such an attack is low.
RISING THREATS AND RISIN
POWERING TOWARDS A CYBER RESILIENT U by Grant Turvey, Utilities Lead, Accenture Australia and New Zealand, and Joseph Failla, Security Lead, Accenture Australia and New Zealand
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he industry is undergoing a huge transformation, integrating technology to increase performance and profit in a challenging political, regulatory and operational environment characterised by new competitors and a swathe of market disruptors. From Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), to smart grids and microgrids, energy providers in Australia are increasingly experimenting with new technologies connecting IT, energy management systems and consumers. This digitisation is set to continue as new regulatory and commercial pressures squeeze margins while community expectations for reliability, transparency and high standards of supply remain high. This increasingly digitised network is creating new security vulnerabilities and widening the threat landscape. The industry is a prime target for cyberattackers to inflict serious damage and disruption, from lone wolf cyber criminals to nation state actors, seeking both political
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and financial benefits, as explored in Accenture’s recent whitepaper, Securing Critical Infrastructure. Regardless of the source or the motive, a successful attack on our grid could result in major power outages, completely disrupting life as we know it. As such, the threat of cyberattacks on our power infrastructure is a cause of major concern for operators and the government, especially with recent incidents globally in Norway, Ukraine and South Africa. Global cybercrime incidents in the utility industry have increased by 67 per cent in the last five years, according to Accenture’s Cost of Cybercrime 2019 research, reflecting the increased vulnerabilities. Of all industries surveyed by Accenture, the utility industry has the highest cost of cybercrime, an average of US$17.84 million per year. With cybercrime increasing so significantly, it’s important we look at what has been done, and what could be done better to make sure the industry (and our nation) is safeguarded against these rising threats. WWW.UTILITYMAGAZINE.COM.AU
