Romania to Develop a Cybersecurity Response Center for Energy Sector Incidents
In a bid to bolster the country's energy sector against potential cyber threats, the Romanian Ministry of Energy has published an Emergency Ordinance to establish a Cybersecurity Incident Response Center in Energy. The new center, which has been under development since last year, is expected to play a crucial role in ensuring the country's energy sector can face expected and complex cyber threats.
The draft ordinance states that the center is essential to support the national and interinstitutional effort to prevent and combat cyberattacks on energy companies and infrastructure. The absence of a sectoral Cybersecurity Incident Response Center in energy can lead to significant damages, with potential consequences on energy prices.
The Response Center in Energy is designed to prepare the country's energy sector for complex cyber threats. It is expected to provide strategic knowledge to other sectors and partner states in the future. Advanced skills may earn salaries up to around EUR 20,000, according to the new agency prepared to offer competitive salaries to attract talent for the center.
The ministry expects the center to require specialists in cybersecurity. The new Cybersecurity Incident Response Center in Energy is expected to contract specialists in rapid incident response, including roles such as Customer IT Support agents who handle technical issue management, incident classification, prioritization, escalation, and coordinate recovery actions. These roles require skills like SQL, API knowledge, and strong organizational abilities. Specific salary targets for these positions have not been disclosed in the available information.
Romania, as a supplier of electricity to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, and a regional security provider, feels obligated to consolidate the cybersecurity of the energy sector to preserve its status. The increasing risks to Romania's defense and national security, in the context of cyberattacks generated by the Russian Federation's war in Ukraine, are reasons for the establishment of the center.
The liberalization of the national energy market, price fluctuations, and the presence of an increasing number of energy companies on the capital market are cited as premises for cyber attacks. The urgency of adopting the Emergency Ordinance is justified by the increased possibility of a multiple cyberattack affecting national infrastructure.
The Romanian National Cybersecurity Directorate has formed alliances with Ukrainian and Moldovan counterparts this year for improved coordination. The Response Center in Energy is prepared to offer competitive salaries to attract talent for the Response Center in Energy in operational positions of high experience and performance levels.
The new agency is also expected to ensure continuous monitoring, prompt incident response, forensic investigations, and self-protection against cyberattacks. The establishment of the center is crucial to ensure the country's energy sector can face expected and complex cyber threats, as stated earlier. The center is expected to help the country's energy sector face these challenges effectively, according to its initiators.
