Let’s be honest. There are worse predicaments than having gas. One of them, perhaps, is not having gas. Another is surrendering to some bad actor the capacity to determine whether or not you have gas. The boys at the fourth grade lunch table would snicker and call it strategic flatulence, but we’re not in the fourth grade and, as it turns out, someone else may be eating our lunch.

Bloomberg and others are reporting that the data systems of at least four gas networks have been recently affected by cyberattacks. The areas affected were communications oriented and not operational, but systems were shut down until a comprehensive assessment of the threat could be made.

Drill Baby Drill

Let’s consider for a moment the potential impact of a breach on the operational infrastructure of a massive utility network. If you are in the IT business, only the scale of the impact would be different. There are really only two types of businesses: those who run on data and those in denial. If your business runs on data (see the previous dichotomy), you feel the sting of every breach that reaches media attention and public consciousness, nevermind the others that occur but for whatever reason remain in the shadows. Either way, you know the clock is ticking, you feel the urgency.

The Cure For IT Discomfort

If you suffer from sleeplessness or anxiety due to uncertainty about your ability to deal effectively with growing threats to your network and data, take two deep breaths and call ICS right away. Know the peaceful sleep of the cybersecure. Now about that gas….