CYBER ATTACKS IN BIH Energy companies and infrastructure are targeted, the solution lies in developing a strategy and legislative framework

(Patria) - On the second day of the Energy Summit 2023, held in Neum, one of the panels was "Cyber Security in the Energy Sector", analyzing the current situation, reviewing cyber protection capacities, as well as ways to improve the defense system against future cyber attacks.

The need to establish a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) for the energy sector, and to develop a legislative framework that will define security and cyber security requirements and needs, as well as procedures that will enable participants in the energy sector to protect their facilities and operations in a systematic and organized manner, was emphasized.

Cyber security expert Ilijana Vavan emphasized that the biggest threat to data and project protection in the energy sector currently comes from the networking of energy system management devices that were not originally designed for internet communication, making them easy to hack.

- Investing in protection systems against potential cyber attacks, as well as educating all employees, are the most important factors for the further development of the energy sector in BiH - said Vavan.

Kamenica: We have already witnessed cyber attacks on energy companies in BiH (Photo: Patria)

The panel highlighted that cyber attacks are already happening throughout the region, as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the targets are energy companies and infrastructure.

Panelists analyzed a case from 2022, in which Sarajevogas was the victim of a cyber attack. The attack directly endangered the possibility of stealing data from thousands of citizens - users of Sarajevogas services.

- The USAID EPA project is actively working to improve the situation in the area of cyber security in the energy sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have already witnessed cyber attacks on energy companies in BiH, therefore, discussions and joint efforts to ensure cyber security in the energy sector are one of the more important priorities - said the director of the USAID Energy Sector Assistance Project (USAID EPA) Mak Kamenica.

The necessity for our country to develop a cyber security strategy and build CERT capacities was also highlighted. The need to create a CERT for the energy sector, which would deal with the protection of critical infrastructure in this area, was particularly emphasized. This is of vital importance for the stability of our energy system and protection against cyber attacks.