According to a new study by the Ponemon Institute, 75% of the energy and utility companies that were surveyed experienced a data breach within the last year.
"We were surprised that utility companies didn't put a higher priority on issues like smart grid and smart meters, where there's been a lot of concern about cyberthreats," says Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of Ponemon Institute. "Many of the people we talked to are still more focused on physical security than on cybersecurity."
One possible attack vector being used against power companies is unsecured USB flash drives. This was reported to be a big factor in the spread of Stuxnet last year. Energy, utility and manufacturing companies should be taking extra measures to be sure only secure devices are plugging into industrial control equipment.