An EU cybersecurity certification scheme is a comprehensive set of rules, technical cybersecurity requirements, standards and evaluation procedures, defined at the EU level and applying to the certification of specific ICT products, services or processes. An EU cybersecurity certificate attests that an ICT product, process or service has been certified in accordance with such a scheme and that it complies with the specified cybersecurity requirements and rules.   Certification is performed by a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), which can audit and/or test and/or certify. All certificates will be published by ENISA on a dedicated website.

Depending on the cybersecurity risk associated with the intended use of the ICT solution to be certified, a different cybersecurity level can be chosen. Each EU scheme indicates if the certification is possible for an assurance level ‘basic’, ‘substantial’ or ‘high’.

IEC 62443 is a comprehensive series of international standards designed specifically for the safety of industrial automation and control systems. It provides a systematic approach to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks throughout the entire life cycle of industrial control systems. These standards are applicable to various sectors, such as consumer goods manufacturing, energy and transportation among others.

The energy sector is vulnerable to ransomware attacks, Denial-of-Service (DoS), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, phishing campaigns, Man-in-the-Middle (MITM), insider threats, and attacks targeting Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems.

A brief description of each of them:

Ransomware. In a ransomware attack, an adversary encrypts a victim’s data and offers to provide a decryption key in exchange for a payment. Ransomware attacks are usually launched through malicious links delivered via phishing emails, but unpatched vulnerabilities and policy misconfigurations are used as well.

Denial-of-Service (DoS). It’s a malicious, targeted attack that floods a network with false requests to disrupt business operations. In a DoS attack, users are unable to perform routine and necessary tasks, such as accessing email, websites, online accounts or other resources that are operated by a compromised computer or network. While most DoS attacks do not result in lost data and are typically resolved without paying a ransom, they cost the organization time, money and other resources in order to restore critical business operations.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). The attacker floods a server with internet traffic to prevent users from accessing connected online services and sites. The difference between Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks has to do with the origin of the attack. DoS attacks originate from just one system while DDoS attacks are launched from multiple systems. DDoS attacks are faster and harder to block than DOS attacks because multiple systems must be identified and neutralized to halt the attack.

Phishing. It’s a type of cyberattack that uses email, SMS, phone, social media, and social engineering techniques to entice a victim to share sensitive information — such as passwords or account numbers — or to download a malicious file that will install viruses on their computer or phone.

Man-in-the-Middle (MITM). It’s a type of cyberattack in which an attacker eavesdrops on a conversation between two targets with the goal of collecting personal data, passwords or banking details, and/or to convince the victim to take an action such as changing login credentials, completing a transaction or initiating a transfer of funds.

Insider threats. Are internal actors such as current or former employees that pose danger to an organization because they have direct access to the company network, sensitive data, and intellectual property (IP), as well as knowledge of business processes, company policies or other information that would help carry out such an attack.

Cyberattacks can disrupt energy production, transmission, and distribution, leading to blackouts, economic losses, and potential safety hazards.

Attacks on energy infrastructure can have cascading effects, impacting transportation, healthcare, communication, and other sectors that rely on a stable energy supply.

Consumers can regularly update device firmware, use strong, unique passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and stay informed about potential vulnerabilities or threats related to their devices.