Industries crucial to the functioning of society such as water treatment systems, power plants, and oil and gas facilities use computer-controlled systems that are under fast-growing cyberattack by hackers, often affiliated with government and organized crime groups, says a new report. These key industries, it adds, often are not boosting security to deal with the threat.
For decades, industrial control systems that operate the power grid and other vital infrastructure enjoyed "security by obscurity." Cybercriminal gangs saw better places to make money. That's changed in a flash.
A drumbeat of reports in recent years has warned of the corporate trend to connect previously isolated vital systems to the Internet, making them more vulnerable to criminal and government hackers seeking to infiltrate infrastructure networks.