2026 ANNUAL RESEARCH REPORT

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.

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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.

 
61%
of energy organisations experienced cybersecurity incidents involving legacy Windows systems in the past year
58%
say compatibility with legacy equipment is the biggest barrier to replacing legacy Windows systems
73%
are planning to invest in dedicated protection for legacy Windows environments

Energy operators are balancing cybersecurity risk, infrastructure resilience, and operational continuity.


Download the 2026 Energy Report

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

 

VALUE

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR ROLE

Turning insight into action

CIO / business leader
Understand cost vs. upgrade trade-offs
OT / plant operations
Reduce risk without disrupting production
CISO / IT security
Move toward unified OT protection

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