The global transition to renewable energy accelerates rapidly, driven by aggressive emission reduction targets—some regions aiming for 55% cuts by 2030. Businesses of all sizes innovate across solar, wind, and smart grid technologies, powering humanity's fossil-fuel-free future. However, in racing to scale renewable solutions, many firms leave themselves dangerously exposed to sophisticated cyber threats.

Advanced persistent threat groups like Sandworm specifically target renewable energy infrastructure, knowing that vulnerabilities in this critical sector can enable devastating attacks. The renewable energy revolution requires equally robust cybersecurity innovation to protect the infrastructure powering our clean future.

The Threat Landscape

Cybersecurity concerns in energy traditionally focused on large utilities and operational technology risks. Major malware campaigns specifically designed to disrupt electrical grids demonstrate these dangers: BlackEnergy attacked Ukraine's power grid in 2015, followed by Industroyer deployed iteratively over six years. These attacks specifically targeted industrial control systems. Similar examples include Triton, designed for safety instrumented systems, and Stuxnet, targeting SCADA systems.

However, threats extend far beyond large utilities. Start-ups and SMBs lead innovation in renewable energy solutions and modern supply chains. A cleaner energy system doesn't automatically mean a more secure one—in fact, rapid innovation often outpaces security implementation.

Renewable Infrastructure Vulnerabilities

While understanding why older Industrial Control System protocols remain vulnerable makes sense, the renewable sector's rapid growth presents opportunities to implement secure-by-design principles from the foundation. Unfortunately, security gaps persist despite no technical excuses for tolerating them.

Spain's April 2025 power outage prompted national security audits at dozens of small renewable power plants, revealing many lacked adequate cybersecurity protection. Spain operates approximately 4,000 installations with one megawatt capacity or greater. As power grids become increasingly dependent on renewables, leaving them vulnerable becomes grossly irresponsible.

Wind Farms and Satellite Dependencies

Real-world incidents demonstrate vulnerability severity. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine coincided with cyberattacks targeting global satellite systems, causing widespread outages affecting 5,800 wind turbines across Central Europe. Remote monitoring and control systems lost satellite connectivity, disrupting operations.

Research by the Centre for Emerging Technology and Security estimates that offshore wind farms, particularly control centers, face elevated vulnerability due to limited cybersecurity focus, skill shortages, and technical complexities inherent in remote cyber-physical infrastructure.

Despite physical remoteness, these installations require digital communication between turbines and onshore facilities, exposing various vulnerabilities in software, IT/OT technology like ICS switches, database and SCADA servers, and supply chain dependencies like satellite connectivity. This combination creates highly potent, difficult-to-secure environments even for enterprise operations.

Poland's 2025 Energy Attack

Poland narrowly avoided large-scale power outage by deflecting a major attack against energy infrastructure in what the government described as the "most serious attack in years." In late December 2025, hackers compromised communications between renewable energy installations—solar farms, wind turbines, and power distributors—across the country.

ESET Research identified the attack as the work of Russia-aligned Sandworm APT group. Attackers deployed a wiper malware that ESET analyzed and named DynoWiper (detected as Win32/KillFiles.NMO). The coordinated attack occurred on the 10th anniversary of Sandworm's 2015 Ukrainian power grid attack—the first malware-facilitated blackout.

Significantly, perpetrators targeted smaller power providers instead of larger networks, emphasizing how nascent innovators, not just state-backed enterprises, become victims. The Polish Digital Affairs Minister confirmed the republic came close to blackout.

Beyond Energy: Standard IT Vulnerabilities

While cyber threats to renewable technology companies and large installations may stem from rapid digital innovation, heavily interconnected IT/OT infrastructure, and decentralized power generation, standard IT vulnerabilities pose equally serious risks.

Businesses in renewable energy cannot ignore standard IT security while managing new technology complexities, power generation, and associated grids. The paradox: Many firms, especially SMBs rushing to meet net-zero targets, focus on innovation while hesitating to adopt modern cybersecurity tools for core business processes due to cost concerns or operational complexity fears. However, inaction risks prove far greater.

Consequences include phishing scams tricking employees into credential surrender, silently spreading malware, ransomware attacks halting projects, and supply chain infections. Even simple misconfigurations or accidental data leaks trigger outsized consequences when investors, partners, and regulators expect clean energy firms to demonstrate sustainability and cybersecurity excellence.

Comprehensive Security Framework

CISOs can implement multiple steps to secure operations. While comprehensive coverage exceeds this article's scope, a preventive approach ensures continued resilience:

Regulatory Compliance

Implement all required industry standards, frameworks, and regulations. In the EU, NIS2 provides baseline requirements, supplemented by sector-specific rules like Electricity Regulation (EU/2019/943) for cybersecurity and crisis management, and Regulation on Risk Preparedness (EU/2019/941) requiring malicious attacks in basic crisis scenarios.

For U.S. businesses, the Department of Energy's Cybersecurity Strategy outlines sector security steps, with specific initiatives like Securing Solar for the Grid (S2G) and DER Cybersecurity Harmonization aligning standards across solar, wind, and battery systems. For OT, ISA/IEC 62443 addresses ICS in energy sectors. Critically, discontinue or replace legacy protocols unfit for modern threats.

Supply Chain Security

Carefully audit supply chains periodically, as vulnerabilities often stem from third parties. Building risk profiles and inventories of contracted providers enables monitoring for potential incidents. While satellite systems can't be rebooted, knowing failure possibilities enables implementing fallback systems.

Cybersecurity Personnel

Hire or train cyber professionals. Given renewable infrastructure complexity, facility sparseness, and continuity requirements, ensuring top-tier security via trained personnel should lower invisible digital attack likelihood considerably. Early detection requires knowledge, visibility, and quick decision-making—all provided by expert security analysts monitoring threats daily. If internal hiring proves impossible due to budget constraints, opt for managed services through MSSPs or MDR providers.

Infrastructure Testing

Test infrastructure resilience regularly. Penetration testing reveals hidden security holes, while red/blue team exercises simulate various attack scenarios, supporting overall preparedness and risk mitigation strategies. If internal capabilities prove insufficient, cyber advisory services provide strategic guidance and risk assessments.

Operational Technology Protection

Secure OT environments by segmenting networks between IT and OT, hardening SCADA systems with access controls and deeper monitoring plus patching, and applying IEC 62443 standards to industrial control components.

Proprietary corporate solutions designed for specific environments offer tailored protection. ESET Corporate Solutions assess and devise security tailored to scope, size, and protected assets, even for complex critical renewable energy infrastructure.

Building Cyber-Resilient Clean Energy

Whether you're an SMB supplying solar farms or an enterprise managing offshore wind farms, risks are real and stakes rising. Incidents can begin with simple emails or satellite outages knocking monitoring systems offline. The renewable sector must embrace prevention-first mindsets.

This means securing both business layers and operational cores, including control centers, corporate networks, and various integrations with external partners and customer systems. By adopting secure-by-design principles, auditing supply chains, investing in cyber talent, and testing infrastructure regularly, renewable energy firms can innovate strategically—creating best practices and serving as role models for secure energy provision.

The clean energy transition represents humanity's critical challenge. Ensuring this infrastructure remains secure against sophisticated cyber threats proves equally essential. Renewable energy companies must recognize that cybersecurity isn't merely compliance overhead—it's fundamental infrastructure enabling the reliable, resilient clean energy future we all depend upon.

Source: Based on research and analysis from ESET cybersecurity experts. Original article: "Cybersecurity for renewable energy: Best practices to protect critical infrastructure" - ESET Blog (January 2026)