In light of the news that Britain’s energy, water and transport companies have been ordered to strengthen their cyber defences or risk fines amid growing fears that Russian hackers are planning an attack on critical infrastructure, Rodney Joffe, SVP and Fellow, Neustar and chairman of Neustar commented below.
Rodney Joffe, SVP and Fellow at Neustar:
“The Russians have been surveying and prepositioning themselves on power networks throughout the globe for some time now – but unlike before, their abilities coupled with their intent has given them the unique opportunity to build out their cyber capability to unmatched levels over the past few years.
And this is incredibly alarming – they now have the resources and knowledge to remotely attack critical infrastructures in a way that was once only possible through military force.
As a result, it comes as no surprise that some of Britain’s most critical industries have been ordered to strengthen their cyber defences amid fears of an attack. This is especially relevant for the energy sector, which is extremely vulnerable in comparison to other industries. This vulnerability is a direct result of its dependence on legacy systems, which are based on old-fashioned IT infrastructure and are constantly connected to the internet, leaving them wide open for attacks.
It is essential that these industries put an emphasis on cyber-security and are prepared to tackle threats, because today’s hackers – from Russia to North Korea and beyond – have the ability to not only take down critical infrastructures, but could potentially cause unmatched disruption globally.”
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