When data center managers think about cybersecurity, they usually think about protecting their IT infrastructure and their data. And when they think about ensuring the security of their power supplies, they think about alternate power sources, as well as restricting physical access to their power infrastructure.
Generators, uninterruptable power supplies, and power distribution units all help to maintain and control the power that runs the data centers. But they rarely pay enough attention to the cybersecurity controls on their power systems, even though these systems are proving to be vulnerable to cyberattacks.
And, ironically, some of the systems used to protect infrastructure may themselves pose security risks.
“The majority of power equipment in the data center can be remotely controlled and configured,” Bob Pruett, security field solutions executive at SHI International, a New Jersey-based technology services company, told Data Center Knowledge in an interview. “So, a malicious bad actor could take control of these devices and interrupt the power to a data center or a specific device on your network.”
