The severity of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton in 2024 paints a stark reminder of the impact of such powerful events. When the forecast calls for high winds and surging waters, communities begin to take the necessary precautions. Trees are trimmed to avoid downed limbs resulting in power outages. Flood walls are put in place to prevent damage from the rising water. Weather monitoring informs warnings necessary for alerting residents to evacuate.

While the negative effects hurricanes can have on critical service reliability — and ultimately the people who depend on these operations for day-to-day living — are taken incredibly seriously, critical precautions aren’t always in place when it comes to cybersecurity.

Implementing solutions to respond to cybersecurity events, to prevent significant, life-threatening outages, is crucial. Cybersecurity plays a role in the broader picture of holistic security for critical infrastructure, not only at an individual organization basis, but also at the larger community level by maintaining reliable services.

Hidden Connections

In today’s digital environment, the unforeseen risk is often the greatest. Electric utilities, water plants and other critical infrastructure can be seen as natural targets for malicious cyberattacks. Critical infrastructure provides the services needed to keep hospitals powered, drinking water available and fuel ready for transportation — the basis of secure and reliable community operations.

When implementing cybersecurity solutions, critical infrastructure can be a natural starting point. However, most industries, critical or not, are interconnected. A manufacturing plant might not be viewed as the target of a cyberattack, and may very well not be the intended victim, but could be hindered in the event the electric grid goes down. Consumers could quickly become affected by the loss of access to essential products. External, hired vendors can also serve as an open door for hackers to gain access to crucial system operations. The ripple effect that can be felt from a single entity being hacked can have far-reaching impacts.

Harsh Consequences

With their potential to cause severe disruptions, malicious cyberattacks are frequently targeting critical infrastructure. In 2024, Halliburton fell victim to a cyberattack with hackers accessing and removing data from the company’s systems. The Houston-based global provider of products and services to the energy industry is still evaluating the scope of information that was removed but the attack caused disruptions to operations and limited access to parts of the business.

The motivations behind a cyberattack can drastically affect the outcomes of a cyberthreat. Domestic extremists may be looking to disrupt critical services, such as power or water. Foreign states might target military operations to prevent crucial communications about troop movements. In the name of national security and for reliable community operations, the stakes couldn’t be higher to keep critical infrastructure secure.

“Utilities are always prepared to deal with the last attack but often aren’t prepared for the next war,” says Victor Atkins, director of security and risk consulting at 1898 & Co. “If you aren’t ready to deal with a malicious cyberthreat, the effects on an organization can be lasting.”

While maintaining secure operations is a top priority once an attack has taken place, the long-term effects on the company can often be felt for years to come. Depending on the severity of the attack, the loss of revenue could be significant from both service outages and the cost it takes to remediate the situation. A company’s reputation also stands to be damaged in the wake of a successful cyberattack — customers may no longer feel safe trusting a company with their hard-earned money after experiencing a data breach or lack of services. Consumers also stand to experience major impacts to their day-to-day in the event of a utility experiencing a cyberattack, such as a loss of power or access to clean water.

Strategies for Protection

For effective cybersecurity solutions, it’s important to have high visibility into existing assets and systems. Once assets have been identified, consistent and quality 24/7/365 monitoring is fundamental for quickly identifying threats and reduce time to detection. The Advanced Threat Protection Center, part of the managed security services offered by 1898 & Co., provides a solution for constant monitoring to keep critical infrastructure safe.

Partnering with an experienced cybersecurity team can be the solution needed to thwart cyberthreats. Through threat hunting and tabletop exercises, a cybersecurity team can map critical systems and prepare for potential threats. These teams can navigate highly complex environments to reduce the burden on organizations that internally maintaining highly specialized talent and equipment.

Organizations' leaders must have a well-thought-out course of action to communicate during crises. A strong strategic communication plan should be in place to begin threat remediation and see that all important messages reach the right parties. This particularly involves strong cross-department collaboration across information technology, operations and communications teams among many other groups that should be ready to respond in the event of a cyberattack.

It's time to rethink and strengthen cybersecurity defenses. As the cyberthreat landscape evolves at an unprecedented pace, a reactive approach is no longer sufficient. Building impenetrable, adaptive security infrastructure is essential. The future demands a comprehensive, forward-thinking cybersecurity strategy that not only anticipates the next wave of threats but remains resilient enough to outpace them. The moment to act is now to create a foundation for a secure and reliable future.