On Tuesday, a Queensland government-owned energy generator stated that it had suffered from a ransomware incident over the weekend and was working to mitigate the situation. The company, CS Energy, stated that the cybersecurity incident has not impacted electricity generation at its Callide and Kogan Creek power station. CS Energy is looking to restore its network and has notified relevant state and federal agencies. The company has also reached out to its retail customers to explain the incident and ensure that there is no impact on their electricity supply.
Critical infrastructure has been increasingly targeted by ransomware gangs due to their importance and the impact of disruptions and downtime on the rest of the country. Earlier in the year, Callide suffered a fire in its turbine hall that lead to outages across Queensland, demonstrating the impact one generator can have on the larger population. Telstra energy was able to keep the electricity going for 50,000 families during the event. The telco utilized standby power assets to stabilize the grid. Telstra has gained authorization to operate in several regions of Australia.
Read More: Queensland government energy generator hit by ransomware
