How Does Cybersecurity Impact Environmental Services and Infrastructure?
Environmental sustainability has become a significant concern for businesses today. Yet, many are not seeing the connection between sustainability efforts and cybersecurity. Despite how different they may seem, these two topics are intertwined. If environmental services and infrastructure don’t embrace better security, the consequences could be severe.
If organizations hope to make a positive environmental impact, they need thorough, reliable cybersecurity. Without it, cyberattacks could jeopardize environmental technologies and bring sustainability efforts to a halt.
Greener Energy Means More Connected Infrastructure
The shift to green power is a main tenet of sustainability, and this move requires connected infrastructure. This is because large-scale renewable energy relies on smart grids to distribute power efficiently and respond to changing power generation rates. Consequently, the green energy movement increases areas’ attack surfaces.
The 2020 SolarWinds supply chain attack highlighted how vulnerable this connected infrastructure often is. Critical infrastructure and government targets made up a considerable population of the attack targets. Since cyberattacks have only recently become a threat to these processes, many lack sufficient protections.
Smart grids open the door for ransomware, DDoS, and other attacks on the energy critical infrastructure sector. If power companies don’t adapt to these risks, the transition to green energy could result in devastating attacks, including power surges, dips, and blackouts.
Cyberattacks Threaten Environmental Processes
Environmental services involve more connected devices than smart grids, too. IT/IoT convergence is critical to sustainability, as IoT devices provide the data and control that organizations need to protect the environment. Without better cybersecurity, this connectivity could let cybercriminals attack environmental processes themselves.
In February 2021, an attacker accessed the controls to a water treatment plant in Florida, changing the sodium hydroxide levels in the water from 100 parts per million to 11,100. Had operators not noticed and responded to the change early, (Read more...)
*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from The State of Security authored by Tripwire Guest Authors. Read the original post at: https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-data-protection/security-hardening/how-does-cybersecurity-impact-environmental-services-and-infrastructure/
