Accenture, Dragos Inc. and the SANS Institute announced a major initiative to help strengthen cyber defenses for under-resourced U.S. water, electric and natural gas utilities. These utilities provide essential services but often lack resources for adequate protection for their operational technology (OT) environments. The announcement comes amid a recent surge in cyberattacks targeting more than 100 U.S. water systems across over a dozen states.
In its first phase, the initiative will provide cybersecurity software, hardware, deployment services and SANS training free of charge to up to 500 under-resourced utilities. Accenture, Dragos and SANS are making an initial combined commitment of approximately $10 million in funding and services. In addition, Elastic is supporting the initiative through technology that allows for software delivery at scale by providing the primary log storage and query engine within the Dragos Platform.
Many of the tens of thousands of small utilities across the U.S., particularly those serving rural or underserved communities, face limited funding, workforce shortages and aging technology. This leaves the pumps, valves, substations and distribution networks that support essential services vulnerable to cyberattacks that can threaten public safety.
To address this gap, Accenture, Dragos and SANS are launching the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation to provide eligible utilities with OT cybersecurity technology, deployment support, hardware and training. The initiative builds on the Dragos Community Defense Program, which provides more than 100 utilities with free access to the Dragos Platform. The foundation was announced at a roundtable discussion focused on strengthening the cybersecurity of utilities in Ohio, hosted by American Electric Power (AEP) subsidiary Ohio Power Company, Accenture and Dragos.
Who qualifies, how to apply
Eligible participants include U.S. based water, wastewater, electric and natural gas utilities with less than $100 million in annual revenue. More than 97% of utilities fall below this threshold, representing more than 50,000 organizations that may need support. Participants can expect:
- Access to the Dragos Platform and services to help organizations know what’s on their networks and how to address vulnerabilities and threats. Elasticsearch provides the underlying log storage and search capabilities that help Dragos deliver the platform at scale to participating utilities.
- Accenture deployment services including expert configuration, integration and ongoing support.
- SANS ICS/OT training to build and sustain in-house capabilities.
Hardware and infrastructure funding to purchase the equipment needed to deploy and run the Dragos Platform. - Peer community access connecting participants to a network of utilities sharing operational experience.
About the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation
The Community Cyber Resilience Foundation is a nonprofit launched by Accenture, Dragos, and the SANS Institute. It raises and provides the funding, hardware, deployment services, and training that small, under-resourced utilities in the U.S. need to secure their operational technology environments.
For more information, visit ccrfoundation.org.
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