Page 35 - Cyber Defense eMagazine for September 2020

What Is Being Done, And How Can They Improve This

Critical Infrastructure’s Cyber Risk?

By Martin Banks

People have worried about the safety of nuclear energy since it first came around in the mid-twentieth
century. Nuclear energy has a lot of potential for powering our world, but it has just as much potential for
destruction. As a result, the facilities that deal with this kind of power have to pay extra attention to their
security.

The nuclear industry is no stranger to high security, but today's threat landscape is changing. It's not just
physical hazards and attacks that organizations and governments have to worry about anymore.
Cyberattacks are the fastest-growing crime in America, and the nuclear industry may be unprepared to
handle them.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) recently released their biennial Nuclear Security Index, and the results
are troubling. Since cybercrime has started to become a more prominent threat, the Index has taken
cybersecurity measures into account. According to this year's report, the world's nuclear facilities have
some work to do.

Cyberthreats to the Nuclear Industry

The digitization of the industry makes preventing physical threats a more complicated process. As helpful
as IoT security measures can be, they also present the danger of hackers. When criminals can hack their
way past things like cameras and locks, it's more challenging to stop them.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2020 Edition 35
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