(Crossposted from Infosec Island)
As we wrestle through our critical infrastructure cybersecurity conundrum we talk a lot about Big Electricity, Big Oil and other Big Asset Owners.
Certainly these asset owners play a crucial part in providing the services of modern society, and keeping them secure is very important. However, these asset owners are not all – or even most – of the problem.
In the US Electric Sector, for example, there are around 3,200 utilities keeping the lights on. Less than 1% of these would be considered Big Electric companies. Drinking and waste water is supplied by over 50,000 US utilities, almost none of which are large operations. Manufacturing, Transportation, Chemical and other sectors are similarly bottom-heavy in terms of demographics.
Obviously, achieving reliable security in large facilities – and none at small ones – only moves us so far towards securing the nation.