With millions reliant on public utilities, maintaining its security is central to the livelihoods of many. Find out the security risks to be aware of and how to prevent them.
There are various security risks presented to public utilities, however, compared to other services, they are critical to the lives and businesses of millions on a daily basis.
Due to the greater reliance, being aware of the risks that may present themselves to your public utilities will help you gauge the type of security required and how best to target particular issues.
Having supported various public utilities in their surveillance, we have first-hand knowledge in the security risks presented to them.
Below we explore the main risks public utilities are faced with and the best measures to prevent them:
What Are Public Utilities?
Public utilities represent essential services that are central to the functioning of society and economy within the US.
Types of public utilities include:
- Energy Suppliers
- Water Supply
- Electric
- Wastewater and Sewage
- Telecommunications
Essentially, without these services, individuals’ livelihoods could be severely impacted and it may cause public safety risks if disrupted in any way.
Mostly owned by Governmental bodies, public utilities can also be owned privately or by members.
In any scenario, it falls under the owner(s) responsibilities to protect these utilities and maintain the services as expected for the general public and businesses who rely on them.
Why do Public Utilities Require Protection?
As mentioned, public utilities are heavily relied upon services and one security breach, whether it be a cyberattack or physical breach could impact thousands, if not millions of individuals who utilize them.
In 2022, there were gunfire attacks on two electrical substations, causing power outages that affected around 45,000 customers.
This story alone displays the impact of security breaches on public utilities and emphasizes the need for surveillance.
Outages or interruptions on key services like water, sewage, and communications could have severe impacts on individuals, from public health hazards to emergency services disruption. All of which, you will be held responsible for.
And depending on the damage, repairing these services back to the standard required may not be so simple, and the longer these services are out, the worse the impacts could be following the initial outage.
The Security Risks to Public Utilities
There are several security risks presented to public utilities that you should be aware of:
Cyberattacks
Public utilities are common targets for cyberattacks due to the sheer damage and disruption that can be caused by them.
From pausing or stopping services to hacking customer information and disturbing billing systems, cyberattacks can impact various aspects of a service, both in the short-term and the long-term.
In 2024, the largest water utility experienced a cyberattack that disrupted customer billing systems and call centers. Although water services remained working, this attack still had a severe impact on customers.
Recovery from a cyberattack can take time depending on the level of attack, but also due to the hacker’s demands and for some, it can take months to resolve an issue.
This creates ongoing issues for the company itself and its customers as they manage the disruption caused.
Insider Threats
All businesses would like to trust their employees illicitly, however, unfortunately some employees have ulterior motives that may threaten the security of your public utilities.
There is high-value information, material and machinery, and these are all targets that may be targeted by employees for their own gain.
Insider threats can also present themselves in the form of contractors who may utilize their opportunity on site to commit crimes against your services.
This could be stealing high-value copper or damaging the public utilities in some ways.
Physical Intrusions
Public utilities are often vast in size and based in more remote locations, making them more prone to physical intrusions due to the assumed lack of security.
The biggest risk of any physical intrusion is that you cannot predict the reasoning behind the unauthorized access and what impact this can have on your public utilities.
Intruders may not even cause physical damage, however, if they injure themselves, you could be held liable for this, leading to financial and legal consequences.
Terrorism
Due to their heavy reliance, public utilities may be targeted by terrorism to cause mass disruption and damage to as many individuals as possible.
These will often be well-thought out attacks and those involved will have scoped out the site to assess for any obstacles they may be faced with.
The damage most terrorist attacks will inflict are severe and if these were to hit certain public utilities like wastewater plants, gas, and water districts, this could cause extreme harm to the public.
Theft and Vandalism
Many public utilities will hold valuable material and machinery, in particular metal.
Metal prices have risen over recent years, especially copper and what this has meant for many public utilities is that they have become the target for theft.
Appealing to both opportunistic thieves and organized crime gangs, your site is likely to be extremely enticing for some due to the large amount of material and machinery present.
In addition to this, some criminals may also look to simply seek damage and if they gain access to your site, will simply inflict vandalism to cause operational disruption.
Theft and vandalism can both lead to disastrous outcomes due to the recovery and repair process that follow such events.
Supply Chain Compromise
Unsecured third-party vendors and suppliers can leave your public utilities vulnerable to all types of crime.
As much as you require the use of outside suppliers, there will be some individuals and businesses that cannot be trusted.
And in these instances, they will have open access to your site which is even more dangerous as without any monitoring you cannot be sure where they are or what they are doing at all times.
Social Engineering
Criminals will go to extreme lengths to gain access to your public utility and this includes manipulating your employees to do so.
Whether it’s posing as an employee or a contractor, you’ll be surprised to know how effective this method can be, especially in instances where employee training may not cover this risk.
With no monitoring system to keep track of employees, criminals could go undetected and this provides them with a sense of security to commit their crimes with ease.
How to Protect Your Public Utilities Against Security Risks
Public utilities must remain protected from the security risks presented, otherwise consequences could be disastrous for you and your customers.
Using our knowledge and from client experiences, we formed 7 smaller and larger measures you can implement to enhance your security:
Implement Security Guards
Security guards can help create a visual criminal deterrent whilst providing 24/7 monitoring of your site.
Although implementing smaller measures is beneficial to prevent intrusion, they do not carry the same weight as surveillance options such as security guards.
Designed to patrol the perimeter of your public utility site, their aim is to spot any potential intruders, assess their threat level, and de-escalate situations appropriately.
This allows you to remain proactive in your response to security, as well as having additional preventative tools in place to support this
However, there are some limitations with security guards such as a lack of concentration, tiredness, and reduced vision which could inhibit the prevention of intruders.
They are also expensive, so for full day-to-night coverage, 24/7, it may not be the most cost-effective method over a long period of time.
Boost Your Cybersecurity
Cyberattacks can utilize various vulnerabilities to access your public utility systems, most commonly through employee accounts like emails and other means.
In general, you should boost your cybersecurity as best as possible, across all aspects of your system.
You should assess your system’s current security and establish where the weak points may be to ensure that any boosted security put in place will manage these risks as needed.
Also, for enhanced business, employee, and customer protection, you should have cybersecurity training in place for all your employees to help prevent access through those means as well.
Install Mobile Surveillance
Considered to be the best form of defense for public utilities, Mobile Surveillance requires no breaks, no holidays, and no sick days, providing full 24/7/365 high-quality security to your site.
Some of the more advanced systems have enhanced camera capabilities that ensure day-to-night monitoring, ensuring you full reassurance in your site’s protection.
Unlike Guards, Mobile Surveillance is often a more cost-effective and accurate solution.
However, with most public utilities based in remote locations, some systems may not be able to provide their services to those sites.
With WCCTV, our Solar Surveillance Trailers are fully autonomous of both power and internet, and require no input from you. This allows them to be based in off-the-grid locations, making them perfect for public utility sites.
They are also easy to relocate if your security needs change, and this can be completed yourself, without any need for an engineer.
Add Clear Signage
Signage is a simple measure you can implement around the perimeter of your public utility to inform any intruders of the dangers if you enter the site and legal consequences surrounding this.
As much as the impact intruders can have on the public utilities and services is important, so is the safety of any individuals on-site, including intruders.
You hold responsibility for individuals’ safety and if you are shown to neglect this, you could be held liable for any injuries or worse that occur on-site.
Therefore, implementing signage can support you in various ways, from deterring crime to pre-warning individuals of the dangers, whilst remaining a cost-effective option for you as a business.
Employee Training and Vetting
From educating employees on social engineering and minimizing the risk of insider crime to improving on-site safety, employee training and extensive vetting can help tackle all these challenges.
Many companies will have onboarding training, however, security risks and work processes change. Therefore, you should always ensure refresher training to keep employees up-to-date with this.
Your onboarding process should be of high-standard right from the get-go and this includes improving your vetting process to ensure that those working at your public utilities are not a threat to your security.
Always keep in mind training at every stage and establish what topics will need refreshing and when to ensure employees are updated at regular intervals or when changes take place.
Improve Your Physical Security
Physical security is important for public utilities as there is a high-risk of intrusion and to prevent this, your site needs to present a strong sense of security that is unmistakable to any individual nearby.
The best way to do this is via physical criminal deterrents and there are various measures already mentioned that can be enforced to do this.
From signage to security guards and Mobile Surveillance systems, you can implement a blended approach if needed to maximize your security.
However, as a sole measure, you should consider Mobile Surveillance as this can offer both visual criminal deterrence and live monitoring capabilities.
Standing at 20-ft tall, our Solar Surveillance Trailers offer a strong criminal deterrent and inform intruders they are being watched at all times. With signage to support, criminals are likely to be less willing to enter your site in fear of being captured.
Enhance Your Security Monitoring
Having a surveillance system that simply monitors your public utility is not necessarily enough. You need your security to be proactive and reactive in its approach to any motion or intrusion.
Although, generally one of the main benefits of Mobile Surveillance is the evidential video it provides for any criminal prosecutions, some systems like ourselves can offer more.
All our products are backed by remote monitoring services which is where trained security professionals monitor live footage of your site at a monitoring center; monitoring movement, assessing threats, and responding appropriately to this.
This response can range from sirens, live voice-down down audio challenges, and when needed, contacting Law Enforcement to attend.
By having this, your public utility site is provided with the best chance of intervening and preventing the crime whilst it is still active, rather than working retrospectively to resolve it.
Protect Your Public Utilities With Market-Leading Surveillance Systems
With such high stakes on the line, you cannot afford to leave your public utilities unprotected or skimping on the quality of security you receive.
By choosing WCCTV, we ensure our systems are built to provide a high-quality, live monitoring and crime prevention surveillance service that tackles the security challenges you are faced with head-on.
Being market-leaders in Mobile Surveillance, we understand the unique risks public utilities are battled by and aim to prevent and minimize those risks in an efficient, cost-effective manner.
Looking to take the steps towards bettering your security?
