Cyber Security for Energy and Renewables
Empowering energy and renewables organisations to elevate cyber security across their supply chains.
Energy cyber security: Managing operational risk and regulatory obligations
As part of the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), the energy and renewables sector has changed dramatically over recent decades. Not only has the country’s reliance on renewables grown substantially but all aspects of the energy sector have been through a rapid digital transformation.
The proliferation of technologies within the energy sector has brought many benefits to organisations within the sector, as well as to end users. However, it has also generated a range of new cyber security risks – threats that need to be monitored, managed and mitigated wherever possible.
90%
In 2023, 90% of the world’s largest energy companies reportedly suffered cybersecurity breaches.
24%
An IBM Security Report in 2022 listed the energy sector as the UK’s top cyber target, accounting for 24% of all attacks.
Why energy and renewables companies should work with us to improve cyber security
Energy Sector Experience
The highly qualified team here at Arcanum has extensive experience working with organisations in the energy and renewables industry, as well as across a range of other organisations that form the UK’s critical national infrastructure.
Supply Chain Support
Our consultants support organisations working directly in the energy market and also those within the industry’s supply chain to understand and mitigate risks as the grow and evolve.
Assured Cyber Expertise
We are proud to be a National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Assured Cyber Security Consultancy and our team includes some of the first consultants in the country to become registered as Chartered, Principal and Associate practitioners with the UK Cyber Security council.
Webinar Replay
Want to learn more about Energy & Renewables Cyber Security?
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Making the Cyber Security Investment Case in Energy and Renewables: Threats and Regulatory Drivers
In this webinar, the panel share insights and best practice regarding the adoption of technologies designed to support IT/OT convergence. Using recent examples of cyber breaches and near misses, experts from Arcanum and Xona share their knowledge of the current threat landscape within the Energy sector. The team also cover how CNI and COMAH sites can achieve regulatory compliance using frameworks such as CAF and ISA/IEC 62443 and, through this, make a compelling case for cyber security investment.
Presenters: Kaylind Grant, Salma Aslam and Will Burnett
Get access to webinar replay:
We are experienced in using all applicable regulations & standards
The importance of meeting regulatory requirements for energy and renewables organisations
As part of the UK’s National Cyber Strategy and the EU’s NIS2 Directive to improve cyber security and protect critical infrastructure, companies in the energy sector are obliged to maintain high standards for security. More important than compliance, however, is a commitment to genuine resilience and risk mitigation.
Whether it’s a power grid, wind farm or solar park, meeting regulatory and compliance requirements offers confidence that best practice is being followed, that vulnerabilities are being managed adequately and that, in the event of a breach, an organisation has taken steps to ensure that incident response is swift and effective.
CASE STUDY
How Arcanum helped an offshore wind operator build resilience and achieve regulatory compliance
8th April 2026
Learn how we supported a leading UK developer and operator of offshore electricity transmission assets to align with UK NIS Regulations 2018, conduct Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) assessments and enhance cyber security across all aspects of the organisation.
Experts in OT cyber security
A common feature across all areas of critical national infrastructure is the need to not only secure IT but also build operational technology (OT) cyber security.
At Arcanum, our operational technology cyber security consultants have decades of combined experience in protecting and safeguarding critical assets and operations within a broader cyber resilience strategy.
See our Operational Technology Services
Compliance
Organisations from all sectors may need to comply with cyber security regulations and standards. This can include the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) OG86, the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations or the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF).
Risk Assessments
Our OT Risk Assessments align to the Detailed Risk Assessment methodology laid out in ISA/IEC 62443-3-2. This is a process of identifying and evaluating the security risks that may affect the OT environment and can help to establish a security baseline.
Cyber Security Management System (CSMS)
The CSMS is for managing cyber security risk used in the ISA/IEC 62443 standard. It is a methodology for securing your OT environment and helps to define your organisation’s cyber security strategy. It can also be aligned with other regulations and standards such as the NIST Cyber Security Framework.
Auditing
An Audit provides key stakeholders with a view of your business’ cyber security maturity and allows you to understand your cyber security posture. We are independent and vendor-agnostic, providing a clear and accurate audit capability in-line with relevant industry standards and regulations.
Network Architecture Review
Understanding OT architecture is an important step in all phases of the lifecycle of OT systems, including the design and implementation of systems, maintaining the components and systems, and scaling up or expanding operations as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Penetration Testing
Arcanum’s CREST accredited penetration testing team are experienced with performing both vulnerability assessments and penetration tests in OT environments. Penetration tests play an important role in assurance and strengthening your OT environment’s security.
Supply Chain Risk Management
The Supply Chain is often the most common threat vector into an organisation. Your own cyber security may be top-notch, but what about your supply chain? Having an understanding, awareness, and control of your supply chain risk is crucial in ensuring your business’ own cyber security.
“In renewable energy, the hardest part of strengthening cyber resilience isn’t the technology, it’s defining the OT scope and self-assessment process with enough accuracy to reflect a converged IT/OT reality. Without clear boundaries, organisations struggle to apply the CAF consistently, and the compliance process becomes as complex as the systems it’s meant to protect.”
– Arcanum OT Cyber Security Consultant, Salma Aslam.
Read more about the challenges of cyber security for senior managers with responsibility for control of major accident hazards (COMAH).
22nd September 2025
The cyber security and compliance challenges for operators of COMAH sites
Cybersecurity governance for the Space industry
Download our 3-piece blog which covers the vital role of cybersecurity governance in the commercial Space industry.
FAQs
What are the main cyber risks facing the energy sector?
There are a wide range of cyber risks that can affect the energy sector, including ransomware attacks, nation-state threats designed to target infrastructure, vulnerabilities within supply chains, phishing attacks directed at employees, and varied attempts to disrupt industrial control systems (ICS). These can lead to operational downtime, safety risks, financial loss, and potential impacts on national energy supply.
How do energy companies secure industrial control systems against cyber threats?
Energy companies secure industrial control systems by implementing strong network segmentation between OT and IT environments, deploying firewalls and intrusion detection systems, enforcing strict access controls, regularly updating and patching systems where possible, and continuously monitoring for anomalies, while also conducting risk assessments and staff training – which can reduce human-related vulnerabilities.
What is energy cyber security and how does OT fit into it?
Energy cyber security refers to the protection of digital systems, networks and infrastructure used in energy generation, transmission and distribution. Of course, OT plays a central role in these because it encompasses the systems that directly control physical processes such as turbines, substations and grid operations. As a result, this makes it critical to both operational continuity and safety.
What cyber security risks affect renewable energy infrastructure?
There are a number of risks related to renewable energy infrastructure such as insecure remote access to solar and wind assets, vulnerabilities in IoT-enabled devices, supply chain weaknesses in components from third parties, as well as potential exploitation of grid connections.
How are wind farms and solar sites protected from cyber attacks?
Remote access controls, network segmentation, encrypted communications, continuous monitoring of operational systems and regular vulnerability assessments can all help to protect wind farms and solar sites.
What regulations apply to cyber security in the UK energy sector?
Energy organisations with a presence in the UK must comply with frameworks such as the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) and the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations.
Standards such as IEC 62443 (which is an OT-specific framework designed to support best practice for industrial automation and control systems) and ISO/IEC 27001 are also of great value in providing protection for critical national infrastructure – as is the
new UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.
What is the difference between IT and OT security in energy environments?
IT security in energy environments focuses on protecting data, systems and business applications with an emphasis on confidentiality and integrity, whereas OT security is more concerned with safeguarding systems that control physical processes, prioritising availability, safety and reliability due to the real-world impact of disruptions.
Are there cyber security consultancies specialising in energy infrastructure?
Yes. Arcanum is a cyber security consultancy with specialists in OT cyber security and extensive expertise in supporting organisations with the protection of energy infrastructure. We provide services such as OT risk assessments, compliance support, penetration testing and incident response planning.
How do energy companies respond to OT cyber incidents?
The first step in responding to OT cyber incidents should always be to activate an incident response plan – isolating affected systems to prevent its spread and maintain operational safety where possible. From there, an organisation should begin to investigate the root cause of the issue and work with internal and external teams to remediate vulnerabilities business as usual as quickly as possible.
How do energy and renewable operators start improving cyber resilience?
Energy and renewable operators can improve cyber resilience by improving visibility over all IT and OT assets. They should conduct regular risk assessments, implement appropriate network segmentation, adopt recognised security frameworks, train staff and work to improve incident response and recovery plans.
Book a call to discuss your Energy OT Security Challenges
Whatever your cyber security challenge, we can provide advice and expertise to help you achieve regulatory compliance and avoid serious cyber incidents. Please complete the contact form below or contact us to speak to an OT cybersecurity specialist: