No sooner have I published the top 2016 predictions than one of them comes true. In my 2016 forecast, I write about the likely increase in public utilities becoming targeted by hackers and the need for MSPs to begin focusing their attention on those public utilities.
Well, this morning the Washington Examiner posts a story about a group of hackers who caused a power outage in Ukraine within the last few weeks. Security company ESET has been analyzing the attack which appears to be a form of malware called Dark Energy, aimed at disabling power grids.
This type of attack underscores the important role of MSPs in helping their public utility customers prepare for and guard against such attacks. It also emphasizes the point that public utilities are likely not prepared for the cyber security threats they are facing in 2016.
As MSPs begin to implement their sales and marketing strategies for this year, knowing the threats these utilities face is quite important. Since the predominant method of securing public utilities has historically focused on physical security, the immediate need is education on the cyber risks these organizations face. Knowing where the attacks will come from is important but also the methods and motivations is also important to understand.
If you don’t have any public utilities as managed services customers, maybe it’s time to find some.