Utilities

Utilities — from water supply to waste management — provide essential services that society and business cannot function without. Cyber attackers know this, and increasingly target utilities to cause widespread disruption, extort payments, or exploit outdated infrastructure.
Incidents can have cascading consequences: loss of clean water, environmental damage, and public health risks, as well as serious reputational fallout for operators.

Sector risk

Utilities are designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in the UK, bringing specific regulatory obligations:

NIS Regulations (2018) — Cover water and related utility providers, requiring robust security and resilience controls.

NIS2 Directive (EU) — Expands the scope and governance obligations for essential services, including utilities.

Environmental & Public Health Regulations — Tie resilience directly to safety and compliance with statutory duties.

UK Cyber Resilience Bill (upcoming) — Will strengthen resilience requirements for CNI operators, including utilities.

Boards in this sector must be able to evidence not just cyber defence, but continuity of supply under attack.

How we can help

We work with utilities providers to strengthen resilience against disruption:

Cyber Risk Assessments — Passive scans to reveal exposed systems (e.g., SCADA, water treatment, supply-chain connections) and supplier vulnerabilities.

Crisis & Cyber Exercises — Simulations of ransomware, denial-of-service, or IT/OT disruption scenarios, testing leadership response and technical recovery.

Regulatory Alignment — Mapping findings and actions to NIS, NIS2, and sector-specific regulatory frameworks to give Boards confidence and evidence of compliance.