Verizon’s Carlos Arcila: Cyber Strategy Needed for Energy Grids

Carlos Arcila, external communications manager for Verizon Enterprise Solutions, has recommended several ways to safeguarding the country’s energy infrastructure from cyber attacks.

He noted on the Verizon blog Tuesday that organizations that operate and monitor U.S. energy and utility systems need cybersecurity framework especially now that the grid has become modernized and connected.

“As new technologies drive more efficient use of the grid, the more they will be adopted in everyday operations,” Arcila wrote.

“Utilities will need to focus on risk mitigation to thwart potential cyberattacks capable of creating a devastating series of cascading events,” he added.

He suggested building stronger networks through patches, two-factor authentication, adoption of static content management systems, asset segregation and stricter lockout policy enforcement.

Arcila cited recent market research that reveals majority of attacks the industry stands to endure were denial of service and crimeware attacks.