In response to growing concerns about the current electric grid's vulnerability to cyber attack, there’s a push on several fronts to develop better security solutions for the Smart Grid. Today, utilities typically link grid monitoring and control systems to open networks such as the Internet and critics charge they are not doing enough to reduce risks. Watch this section for insights on the future of cyber security – as well as solutions for safeguarding physical properties such as substations and transmission towers.
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Security expert and SGN contributor Andy Bochman hits the highlights of wide-ranging security panel discussions at the 2012 DistribuTECH conference held recently. He covers a lot of ground, and it's interesting reading.
Given the dangers and costs, what would motivate a well-known cyber security researcher to release detailed vulnerabilities for specific, critical infrastructure products? EnerNex Chairman and CTO Erich Gunther suspects the release - which really did happen - reflects how fed up the security community is. It's tired of being ignored by vendors and utilities that live with known vulnerabilities rather than fix them. As Erich explains, there's way more than most of us realize at stake here.
Security veteran Ernie Hayden can tell some scary stories about lax security practices he's been eyewitness to during utility site visits. He worries there's too much emphasis on security compliance rather than true protection on both the physical and cyber fronts. The fix? Click for five steps he believes every utility should take now to 'bake in' security organization-wide.
In this week's blog about his stint on a privacy panel put on by the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative, security ace Andy Bochman ponders why the SGCC needs to exist - and then answers his own question: Without it, there would be no one out there to give consumers a reasoned and sensible alternative to the alarmist ranting they're frequently exposed to in the mainstream media. (And he provides a good example of what he's talking about.)
A recent IBM global survey showed that up to three-quarters of consumers are concerned about the confidentiality and security of home energy use data. What to do? Matt Futch, Global Policy Director with IBM Energy & Utilities, argues that appropriately designed industry practices and regulatory guidance can help the energy ecosystem protect sensitive information. Click for his examples of how and where it's already happening.
When security technologists expose the vulnerabilities of smart grid vendors' products, should they make their findings public? How far should they go in their efforts to nudge vendors to improve their offerings? Read the story to understand why security expert Andy Bochman has mixed feelings about how the results of a recent study were handled.
A tool from GE that spots grid stress sooner and two new security solutions from Tropos Networks are featured in today's installment of our Discovery Showcase series. Click for a look at seven new product releases from some leading smart grid vendors (and a couple you may not have heard of - yet anyway). And a special bonus: A free tool from EPRI that helps you evaluate electricity generation technologies.
Security pro Andy Bochman directs your attention to a new report from MIT - not so much for its cyber security content, but for its informed predictions on the future of the smart grid.
An alarming story from Germany: researchers there demonstrated that a company's smart meters were so vulnerable to outside attack that they were able to alter meter readings and spy on unencrypted data to determine when customers were home or away. There's more on the story inside.
Security expert Andy Bochman shares excerpts from a new book on smart grid security risks, tough nut issues and solutions. Andy says it's a good read for security pros, but appropriate for all smart grid stakeholders - including consumers - who want to know more.
This week security expert Andy Bochman shares a Q&A with PJM Interconnection CEO Terry Boston. Find out what he had to say about the current state of cyber security and why Andy found his remarks so refreshing - and a good place to start the new year.
A bill has been introduced in the House that would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to evaluate cybersecurity risks to critical infrastructure (including the power grid) and then to determine ways to lessen that risk. Meanwhile, a second bill would give the federal government the authority to share classified information about cyber-threats with American companies.
A new report out from MIT says the grid is threatened and there are too many cybersecurity groups with too little enforcement power to keep it safe. Do we, as MIT researchers suggest, need a single agency? And, if so, where should it live - FERC? NERC? A brand new agency? That's this week's Tuesday topic in our discussion forum.
The intent of this MIT report is to provide a comprehensive, objective portrait of the U.S. electric grid and the challenges and opportunities it is likely to face over the next two decades. It also highlights a number of areas in which policy changes, focused research and demonstration, and the collection and sharing of important data can facilitate meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities that the grid will face.
Security expert Andy Bochman explains why it's a good idea - particularly in the security world - to wait until all the facts are in before spreading alarming news. Click inside for the story behind the widely reported story about control system attacks on a water utility.
There's been fairly constant grumbling about the less than sprightly pace of the U.S. cyber security standards process – but for better or worse we're not alone. Click inside for security expert Andy Bochman's take on progress in Europe.
The second edition of Securing the Smart Grid is a 30-page report which provides an overview of electrical system security vulnerabilities the smart grid might introduce or aggravate, as well as the steps that are being taken or should be taken by the industry to effectively deal with them. According to the report, available from Research and Markets, the implementation of the smart grid must be performed with a focus on protecting data and systems from external interference to improve the security of the electrical system.
Cyber security expert Andy Bochman sends some sunshine to snowy Colorado for its decision to appoint a chief information security officer to handle policy setting and enforcement. And he's particularly pleased that the state did so because it wanted to, not because it had to.
DOE recently published 21 steps to improve the security of the smart grid and other public assets that are remotely managed and monitored. But Carl Ford says there's a worrisome "keep quiet" strategy at play.
Sensus, Enernex and DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are teaming up to demonstrate a new cyber security vulnerability detection system. Their first target: smart meters. Click inside for more.
Are there right ways and wrong ways to foster a security-conscious climate throughout an organization? Our smart grid security ace Andy Bochman has been listening to utility cybersecurity pros telling tales about what's worked – and not – for them. And he's reached a conclusion that could work for your utility. Details inside.
Smart grid security guru Andy Bochman has spotted two books he thinks Smart Grid News readers should know about. Neither focus exclusively on cyber security, but he says both titles further an understanding of the big picture wrapped around smart grid security, privacy and the compliance landscape.
SGN contributor and smart grid security pro Andy Bochman says the massive outage that cut power to millions in San Diego and parts of Arizona and Mexico earlier this month should teach us a very valuable lesson about our smart grid priorities. Click inside to read what he has to say.
Smart grid security ace Andy Bochman takes on The Economist for its smart grid coverage. One day he says the esteemed publication is fanning the flames with scare tactics, the next it offers a sound defense of smart grid benefits. What gives? Click inside for Andy's take.
We're getting mixed signals about the vitality of the smart grid market. On the one hand, the recent DistribuTECH conference was one of the most successful ever. On the other, a well-known Wall Street analyst recently told his clients that the smart metering sector is "facing several headwinds," including weak regulatory support in the U.S. and delays in European adoption. Taking the pulse of the smart grid industry is this week's Tuesday Topic.
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