Russian Cyberattacks: Targeting Alternatives to Oil & Gas
By Barry Adames ‘25
The Vulnerability of the Energy Sector
The energy sector has, for a long time, been vulnerable to cyberattacks due to the lacking sophistication of its cybersecurity. Energy companies have been late adopters of emerging technologies such as cloud computing, digitization, and functional software leading to a higher vulnerability to cyberattacks. Due to the nature of energy companies and their operations, they have become a strategic target for many cyberattacks and can be used to harm the societal and economic infrastructure of a country relying on energy from these companies.
Currently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put the energy sector on high alert in fear of Russian cyberattacks. Russia is a known cyber-superpower with many tools in its arsenal to cause disruption and potentially destruction through cyberattacks. The sanctions placed upon Russia have also fueled the need for protection against cyberattacks in the energy sector as Russia may look to disrupt energy alternatives to the oil and gas they export to other countries.
Russia-Linked Cyberattacks in European Energy Sector
One company hit by a cyberattack earlier this year in February was the Germany-based wind-energy company, Enercon GmbH. A massive disturbance of satellite connections in Europe affected the remote-control operators of almost 6,000 Enercon wind turbines. This attack came at almost the exact time that Russian troops invaded Ukraine. This may indicate the involvement of Russia in the cyberattacks or supporters of Russia looking to take down the renewable energy sector in Europe.
Nordex SE, a Germany-based wind turbine maker, was also the victim of a security incident towards the end of March. The incident involved Nordex’s information technology (IT) systems which were forced to shut down after a Russia supporting ransomware group named Conti initiated the attack on their IT systems. This attack conveys the vulnerability of the energy sector and the damage Russia’s supporters can have on the critical infrastructure of a company and country.
Germany-based Deutsche Windtechnik AG, which specializes in the maintenance of wind turbines has been the most recent target of a cyberattack. Earlier this month, Deutsche Windtechnik suffered a cyberattack that shut down the remote-control systems of about 2,000 wind turbines for a day. While all these European companies have been able to rally from these cyberattacks, they are a good indicator of how Russia and its supporters are responding to the sanctions placed upon Russia and the need for better cybersecurity.
Implications & Implementing Protection Against Cyberattacks
Multiple cyberattacks against the European wind-energy sector companies are a good signal as to the pattern and motive behind the attacks. As many countries continue to ban the importing of Russian oil and gas, they have moved toward a reliance on wind-energy and other renewable energies for power. These Russia-linked cyberattacks are an attempt to wipe out the energy alternatives many counties rely on instead of Russian oil or gas.
As cyberattacks continue to be an issue in the energy sector, it is imperative that energy organizations focus on protecting their vulnerable IT systems that can leave them open to having their operations shut down if breached. Leveraging new technologies with security in mind will additionally help many of these organizations protect themselves against ransomware and other types of cyberattacks in the future.
