Elastic backs free cyber protection for 500 US utilities
Elastic is supporting the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation, a nonprofit initiative providing free cybersecurity software, hardware, deployment services and training to up to 500 under-resourced US utilities. The program focuses on water, electric and natural gas providers that lack the budget or personnel to protect operational technology.
- Elastic is supporting the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation.
- The first phase will help up to 500 under-resourced US utilities.
- Accenture, Dragos and SANS committed approximately $10 million.
- Eligible utilities must have less than $100 million in annual revenue.
- Support includes Dragos Platform access, training, hardware and deployment services.
A response to growing infrastructure threats
Elastic said US critical infrastructure has become a primary target for coordinated cyber attacks, with small water, gas and electric utilities facing limited budgets, staff and forensic expertise. The company also pointed to the growing use of artificial intelligence by attackers.
According to Elastic, hackers used AI in August to generate scripts designed to exploit Siemens Programmable Logic Controllers, or PLCs. These devices are widely used in US water, energy and food processing infrastructure. A joint advisory from the National Security Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency said AI has reduced the technical expertise and time required to exploit vulnerable industrial control systems.
Elastic also described attacks against internet-facing PLCs and edge devices in the energy and water sectors. In attacks such as those in Colorado, operators have been locked out of operational technology networks after device passwords and IP addresses were altered, causing a loss of visibility into safety metrics.
How the foundation will support utilities
Accenture, Dragos and the SANS Institute launched the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation on October 20, 2026. The nonprofit is intended to help under-resourced US water, electric and natural gas utilities secure their operational technology.
Elastic is a core technology partner and provides the primary log storage and query engine within the Dragos Platform. Elasticsearch supports high-speed data ingestion, full-text search and large-scale operations, while Dragos uses Kibana and Elasticsearch to help public sector customers find and understand information relevant to cybersecurity operations and resilience.
The initiative's first phase will offer cybersecurity software, hardware, deployment services and SANS training at no cost to up to 500 utilities. Accenture, Dragos and SANS have made an initial combined commitment of approximately $10 million in funding and services.
The foundation builds on the Dragos Community Defense Program, which already provides more than 100 utilities with free access to the Dragos platform.
Eligibility and application details
Eligible participants are US-based water, wastewater, electric and natural gas utilities with less than $100 million in annual revenue. Elastic said more than 97% of utilities fall below that threshold, representing more than 50,000 organizations that may need support.
Participants can receive access to the Dragos Platform and related services, Accenture deployment support, SANS ICS and OT training, and funding for hardware and infrastructure. The program will also connect participating utilities through a peer community where they can share operational experience.
Utilities interested in participating can learn more at ccrfoundation.org. For eligible providers, the effort combines technology, specialist support, training and funding in a single program aimed at strengthening defenses around essential services.
