London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

UK cyber security law forcing energy companies to report hacks has led to no reports, despite numerous hacks

UK cyber security law forcing energy companies to report hacks has led to no reports, despite numerous hacks

The threshold to determine whether an incident affecting energy companies is reportable has prevented any reports being made.

A cyber security law introduced three years ago was meant to boost the resilience of the UK's energy sector by obliging gas and electricity firms to report when they were hacked.

But since then not a single report has been made, Sky News can reveal, despite numerous successful hacks of British energy firms attributed to hostile states as well as criminal groups.

Ofgem, the authority that is meant to receive these reports, told Sky News that only one company has ever tried to file a report informing the regulator that it had been hacked, but they were dismissed as the incident did not meet the threshold for being reported.

Ofcom's incident thresholds are based on the impact of an attack on customers


Last year, staff at a little-known company called Elexon - a firm that plays a critical role in balancing and settling payments between power plants and electricity suppliers - was left locked out of its internal systems due to a ransomware attack.

The British government has confirmed that Russian state-sponsored hackers have successfully penetrated the computer networks of the UK's energy grids, without disrupting them.

Former defence secretary Gavin Williamson warned that "thousands and thousands and thousands" of people could be killed if an attempt at disruption was made.

But the high thresholds for companies working across the gas and electricity sectors to report cyber security incidents to Ofgem risks leaving the regulator blind to how the sector is actually coping in the face of these threats.

These thresholds are based on the impact of hacks to the continuity of the companies' services, a metric that does not record the sector's security capabilities, just the intentions of the attackers.

Dr Jamie Collier, a threat intelligence consultant at FireEye, told Sky News that the thresholds could be useful considering the varying levels of sophistication across attacks on critical infrastructure organisations, allowing defenders to "focus on what really matters".

But the cyber security expert added: "Despite this, essential service providers and regulators should be careful not to neglect the threat posed from less sophisticated attacks."

FireEye has detected an increase in critical infrastructure incidents caused by novice hackers due to the growing availability of tools enabling these hackers to interact with industrial control systems.

The company also warns that multiple, highly-prolific criminal organisations with a financial motivation are currently "active inside essential service provider networks with the intent of profiting from a ransom of stolen information and disrupted services".

FireEye warns that novice hackers are now targeting industrial control systems.


"Most of the concern around cyber security has been focused on operational technology (OT) networks that interact with physical processes and machinery, such as power plant equipment or water treatment facilities," Dr Collier explained.

"Yet the traditional information technology (IT) networks that involve the flow of data - such as file storage or email - should not be neglected. This is because whilst the impact of malicious activity can be far more severe against OT systems, these attacks typically start out on IT networks. It is therefore vital to consider security across an entire service provider's infrastructure."

Dr Collier stressed that critical infrastructure providers "deserve credit for their use of fail-safe mechanisms that can mitigate the destructive impacts of many attacks".

Responding to Sky News, a government spokesperson said: "The UK's critical infrastructure is extremely well protected and over the past five years we have invested £1.9bn in the National Cyber Security Strategy to ensure our systems remain secure and reliable."

They added that a formal review of the impact of the cyber security law, the Network & Information Systems Regulations, will take place within the next 12 months.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×