ENERGY EDITION
More than six in ten Europe's energy organisations have already experienced cyber incidents involving legacy systems
New 2026 research reveals why legacy OT remains a growing cybersecurity challenge across energy generation and distribution environments and how organisations are responding.


Legacy Windows systems are becoming a growing operational and cybersecurity challenge for energy organisations
Across energy environments, legacy Windows systems continue to support critical operations, from turbine control systems and substation automation platforms to grid management SCADA and distribution infrastructure.
But while these systems remain essential, they are also becoming increasingly difficult to secure.
Energy organisations face a difficult balancing act between managing growing cybersecurity risks, maintaining operational continuity, supporting ageing infrastructure, and modernising without disrupting critical services.
For many organisations, replacing legacy systems is not a realistic short-term option. The challenge is finding practical ways to reduce risk while maintaining system availability and supply continuity.
Legacy systems aren’t going away. But the risks are increasing.
Energy operators are balancing cybersecurity risk, infrastructure resilience, and operational continuity.
ABOUT
A data-driven view of legacy OT security in the energy sector
Based on responses from energy-sector OT cybersecurity leaders across Europe, this report examines:
✔ The prevalence of legacy Windows systems across energy OT environments
✔ The cyber risks most commonly affecting energy organisations
✔ Why legacy systems remain difficult to replace
✔ How operators are protecting generation, transmission, and distribution assets today
✔ What drives investment decisions around OT cybersecurity
✔ The strategies energy organisations are adopting to improve resilience
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR ROLE
Turning insight into action
Download the Research Report!
Get the full 2026 report and benchmark your OT security strategy.
In this report, you’ll discover:
√ How widespread legacy Windows systems still are across OT environments
√ Why organisations cannot replace legacy systems (and what’s changing)
√ The real cyber risks targeting legacy OT today
√ Why incident rates are increasing year over year
√ What security strategies organisations are actually deploying
