This study describes what supply chain cyber-attacks are and how the energy sector is affected by this problem. The goal of the paper is to answer the research question: ‘To what extent can an...Show moreThis study describes what supply chain cyber-attacks are and how the energy sector is affected by this problem. The goal of the paper is to answer the research question: ‘To what extent can an increased institutional cooperation between the EU and the US create more secure supply chains within the energy sector?’. By assessing the Dragonfly 2.0 and the NotPetya cyberattacks on specifically energy sector companies, the study shows the limitations of the sectors’ cyber resilience. Possibilities in creating a more secure energy sector and its supply chains are to be found in increased cooperation between states. The transatlantic cooperation between the EU and the US is analyzed to examine how the two can support each other in creating a more secure cyberspace in the energy sector. More specifically, neoliberal institutionalism is used to explain the cooperation between the two via institutions. When states cooperate via institutions, they need to follow the same rules and need to adhere to the same security standards. For the energy supply chains, this can be one of the main ways to increase security, as there are collective rules and standards for these interconnected and complex chains. The study tries to build upon this theory of institutional neoliberalism to explore when states are willing to cooperate via institutions.Show less
