Accenture, Dragos Inc. and the SANS Institute announced a major initiative to help strengthen cyber defenses for under-resourced U.S. water, electric and natural gas utilities. These utilities provide essential services but often lack resources for adequate protection for their operational technology (OT) environments. The announcement comes amid a recent surge in cyberattacks targeting more than 100 U.S. water systems across over a dozen states.
In its first phase, the initiative will provide cybersecurity software, hardware, deployment services and SANS training free of charge to up to 500 under-resourced utilities. Accenture, Dragos and SANS are making an initial combined commitment of approximately $10 million in funding and services. In addition, Elastic is supporting the initiative through technology that allows for software delivery at scale by providing the primary log storage and query engine within the Dragos Platform.
Many of the tens of thousands of small utilities across the U.S., particularly those serving rural or underserved communities, face limited funding, workforce shortages and aging technology. This leaves the pumps, valves, substations and distribution networks that support essential services vulnerable to cyberattacks that can threaten public safety.
To address this gap, Accenture, Dragos and SANS are launching the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation to provide eligible utilities with OT cybersecurity technology, deployment support, hardware and training. The initiative builds on the Dragos Community Defense Program, which provides more than 100 utilities with free access to the Dragos Platform. The foundation was announced at a roundtable discussion focused on strengthening the cybersecurity of utilities in Ohio, hosted by American Electric Power (AEP) subsidiary Ohio Power Company, Accenture and Dragos.
“Our work with America’s critical infrastructure operators has shown both the gravity of the cyber threats they face and a widening vulnerability gap—between large operators with the resources to invest in cybersecurity and smaller utilities that often lack those means,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “Together with Dragos and SANS, we will provide under-resourced utilities with the technology, expertise and training they need to better power and protect the communities they serve.”
“Adversaries are aggressively targeting utilities, attacking the operational environments that provide life-sustaining services to millions of Americans. Yet many small operators lack the capacity to defend against these threats,” said Robert M. Lee, chairman, CEO, and founder of Dragos. “The Community Cyber Resilience Foundation gives the utilities that need it most access to cybersecurity resources and training at no cost.”
Eligible participants include U.S. based water, wastewater, electric and natural gas utilities with less than $100 million in annual revenue. More than 97% of utilities fall below this threshold, representing more than 50,000 organizations that may need support.
Participants can expect access to the Dragos Platform and services, which help organizations understand what is on their networks and how to address vulnerabilities and threats. Elasticsearch provides the underlying log storage and search capabilities that allow Dragos to deliver the platform at scale to participating utilities.
Accenture will provide deployment services, including expert configuration, integration, and ongoing support. SANS will offer ICS/OT training to build and sustain in-house capabilities. Participants will also receive hardware and infrastructure funding to purchase the equipment needed to deploy and run the Dragos Platform, along with peer community access that connects them to a network of utilities sharing operational experience.
“The best security technology in the world won’t protect a utility if its staff are not able to use it. The foundation puts training and skills in the hands of the people protecting the water, power, natural gas, and wastewater treatment systems that communities rely on,” said James Lyne, CEO at SANS.
“Strong cybersecurity depends on many technologies working together. Elastic is committed to supporting Dragos in delivering its platform at scale, helping make advanced cybersecurity capabilities accessible to utilities that could not otherwise afford them,” said Ashutosh Kulkarni, CEO at Elastic.
