Critical infrastructure is in focus of emerging cyberwar activities
SUZO (Secure Utility Zone) community provides platform for professional exchange on cybersecurity issues for companies from energy and water sectors
Next event in Milan dedicated to the IEC 62443 security standard

Industrial cybersecurity provider Rhebo and partners have established Secure Utility Zone (SUZO), the first Italian community for multi-utility cybersecurity. SUZO brings together multi-utility and energy sector companies to share their challenges and best practices in securing their industrial control systems (ICS) in a trusted, professional environment.

As demonstrated by the recent attacks on the Italian police website by Killnet, a pro-Kremlin cybercrime collective, growing geopolitical tensions bring increased risk of cyberattacks, particularly against government institutions and critical infrastructures. The ability of modular hacking toolkits like PIPEDREAM to disrupt operational technology (OT) networks, highlight the growing threat countries and specifically critical infrastructure companies are facing.

»Protecting critical infrastructure’s OT and ICS is now even more important,« said Klaus Mochalski, Rhebo CEO and co-founder of SUZO. »To be prepared in the best possible way, it’s paramount for operators and security engineers at multi-utility and energy companies to work together.«

Learning from the best

The SUZO community was created as a meeting place for critical infrastructure operators, energy providers and multi-utility companies where they can share highlight experiences, discuss challenges and share lessons-learned. 

SUZO is building a dedicated portal with in-depth information on OT challenges, success stories and best practices as well as a monthly video newsletter with expert interviews. SUZO also organizes community meetings online and in person to bring together OT cybersecurity experts and security officers of critical infrastructures.

On April 28th, the first of these SUZO events took place, titled »Cyber Risks for Electricity Suppliers – Detection of Attacks from the Control Room to the Electric Substations«. During his deep-dive session Klaus Mochalski – Rhebo CEO & Founder – explained the main causes of hacker attacks on OT networks and how to protect multi-utility assets. The success cases of BayWa r.e., Sonnen, e-netz Südhessen and Thüringer Energienetze were also presented. At the end of the meeting, the participants shared their experiences and posed questions to the expert panel.

The next SUZO event titled »IEC 62443 in Industrial Control Systems – Challenges and Best Practices for Multi-Utility companies« will be held in person on July 7th, 2022 at the Aspria Harbour Club in Milan. Attendees will get exclusive insights on how to implement the international cybersecurity standard in their multi-utility OT networks in a beautiful and relaxed atmosphere.

Interested multi-utility operators and energy providers can join the community and register for the upcoming SUZO event under https://www.innovabilitycircle.com/events/suzo-002-iec62443.