Protecting the Energy Sector: The Need For Case Management
The safety and economic security of the United States is dependent on the integrity of our critical infrastructure systems, including power, natural gas and petroleum. The energy sector, in particular, has become increasingly vulnerable to a wide array of attacks across the cyber and physical security landscape. Failure of energy sector systems could have catastrophic consequences on our communities, business and our national defense. Organizations operating in the energy sector must adopt modern and scalable technologies that enable and support informed decision making, to effectively address and mitigate these risks.
The Growing Threat Landscape
The energy sector holds a unique position as critical infrastructure, playing a vital role in supporting and enabling other sectors. It fuels the transportation industry, powers commercial and residential establishments, and drives economic activity across the nation. Consequently, any successful attack on the energy sector can have far-reaching and cascading effects, leaving critical systems exposed and putting entire communities at risk.
According to a report published by the Department of Energy, the frequency and severity of cyber attacks against utilities are on the rise. The 2015 Global State of Information Security Survey revealed that power companies and utilities worldwide experienced a six-fold increase in detected cyber incidents compared to the previous year. Notably, cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with power and utility companies reporting an alarming surge in threats related to mobile computing, malware, and phishing, which pose significant concerns.
The Need for Effective Technology
Implementing a comprehensive security technology system is an all-encompassing approach to managing and addressing potential threats towards the energy sector. It enables energy companies to streamline their incident response, investigations, and compliance efforts into a single, centralized platform. Here’s why implementing a modern and scalable security technology solution is crucial for protecting the energy sector:
Efficient Incident Response: Rapid response is crucial to minimizing the impact of security incidents. Technology facilitates real-time collaboration, allowing those involved to share information, document actions, and track progress. By automating routine tasks and providing clear workflows, technology can ensure that incidents are promptly addressed, reducing response times and enhancing operational efficiency.
Comprehensive Investigations: Energy-related incidents often require detailed investigations to determine root causes, identify responsible parties, and prevent future occurrences. A robust case management system allows investigators to gather and analyze evidence, manage documents and files, and maintain a centralized repository of case-related information. By consolidating data and streamlining workflows, organizations can conduct thorough investigations while maintaining data integrity.
Data Integration and Analysis: Energy companies generate vast amounts of data from various sources, including SCADA systems, IoT devices, and network logs. Integrating with such existing data sources with the right technology can consolidate and analyze data to uncover hidden patterns, detect anomalies, and proactively identify potential threats. Advanced analytics capabilities enable organizations to gain actionable insights and make informed decisions to strengthen their security posture.
Regulatory Compliance: The energy sector is subject to stringent regulatory frameworks, including cybersecurity standards, data protection regulations, and industry-specific guidelines. The National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) lists these key concepts as the focus of security efforts for energy and utility organizations: \
Assess and analyze risks to critical infrastructure.
Address the human, physical and cyber threat.
Enhance security and resilience through advance planning.
Share actionable and relevant information across the critical infrastructure community.
Promote learning and adaptation.
Technology solutions can integrate regulatory requirements into their workflows, helping organizations ensure adherence to compliance obligations such as documenting risk factors, sharing actionable intelligence, and timely reporting.
The Kaseware Advantage
Utilizing a software solution such as Kaseware can offer comprehensive case management features that can benefit the security of the energy sector, as well as many more capabilities to further assess and address risk. Kaseware provides an all-in-one platform designed to meet the specific needs of the energy sector by empowering organizations with the following capabilities and features:
End-To-End Case Management:
From simple cases to complex investigations, Kaseware’s Case Management features provide the tools necessary for energy companies to organize and analyze information in order to assist in the investigative process. From a user-friendly Case Dashboard, multiple cases can be worked on at once, and associated information can be easily shared, tracked, and analyzed from just a few clicks.
Robust Data Analytics:
Kaseware offers powerful data analysis tools to visualize the information stored within its system. With Link Analysis software, connections between data points can be easily graphed, uncovering points of interest and revealing risk factors, associated evidence, and potential leads. Information can also be displayed using the Geospatial Mapping software, which provides visualizations of events and the corresponding entities and items related to the incident, as well as being capable of being shown through a variety of live map overlays.
Fast Incident Response:
Through Kaseware’s Incident Response features, clear and fast pathways are created to reduce the time frame for a response. This is especially important for the energy sector, as it can rapidly address and prevent potentially large scale issues before they occur. The Incident Management tab within Kaseware provides a variety of ways to tailor the system to an organization’s security team, including automated notifications, functions to quickly dispatch officers, and tools to shorten the time it takes to write comprehensive reports.
Streamline Workflows:
Kaseware offers customizable workflows that align with energy sector requirements and regulatory guidelines. Access controls can also be implemented to define clear roles and responsibilities within your organization. Granting access privileges based on job requirements and responsibilities ensures employees only have access to the systems and data necessary for their duties, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information and avoiding potential data leaks.
Utilize a Powerful Technology Solution
The energy sector is a critical network that is fundamental to the functioning of American society. As work within the energy and utility industry becomes increasingly digitized, the need for comprehensive case management is more important than ever to prevent cybersecurity attacks and other potential threats. Utilizing powerful software like Kaseware can provide energy and utility companies with the tools they need to organize information into comprehensive cases, analyze information to accelerate key decisions, and improve collaboration and communication within organizations and between the network of facilities powering the nation.
To learn more about Kaseware’s case management and investigative software solution, and to speak with a member of the Kaseware team to discuss your organization’s unique needs, click here to schedule a free personalized demonstration of the platform.