At the site of one of the larger smart grid projects in the U.S., a resident expert in the energy industry has pointed out the potential security problems facing smart grid technology, according to The Houston Chronicle. Dr. Stephen Holditch of Texas A&M Energy Engineering Institute spoke about the potential security problems of the smart Continue reading →
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And as in the Lord of the Rings, few can look into a palantir and walk away unscathed. That’s true for this recently released grid forecast from MIT, and especially for the sections on cyber security, which have served as the justification for many alarmist articles since… It’s funny but I just went through the Continue reading →
January 11, 2012 (CHICAGO) — In the year since Stuxnet first struck, cyber security has become a critical concern for utilities. Securing the emerging smart grid must be an end-to-end, architectural undertaking built into all facets of IT, OT, ICS, communications and infrastructure from the outset. Introducing intelligence and two-way communication into the utility network Continue reading →
The old saying “one step forward, two steps back” seems to fit the state of smart grid security to a tee, at least according to a study released by MIT. The study, according to the Christian Science Monitor, reports that the security features being added to the traditional power infrastructure are being overmatched by the Continue reading →
The discovery of the Stuxnet worm in 2010 shone a harsh light on the fragility of industrial control systems (ICS), such as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, and has created a new urgency among security vendors and utility managers alike. Nearly overnight, ICS security went from being a non-issue to being critical. Because Continue reading →
The bad news is smart grids could open up utilities to a whole host of new threats. The good news is they already know that, and may even be able to turn security into a value add. via Smart Grid: Are utilities preparing for the security threats? | Smart Grid Update.
IEEE started revisions to its Secure Authentication (SA) protocols contained in its IEEE 1815 Distributed Network Protocol (DNP3) standard. The revisions (Version 5) will help increase overall security for data information gathering, exchange, and use in applications like supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. via IEEE revises critical smart grid security standard – FierceSmartGrid.
Once a company, a community or a country has invested significant dollars carefully constructing a smart energy grid that deploys power in an efficient manner, the next priority must be to safeguard that grid. To that end, smart grid security has quickly become a very big business, according to a recent report from ABI Research. Continue reading →
One year ago, the Stuxnet virus had just been discovered. A year’s worth of analysis still has not unlocked its secrets but it has had a profound influence upon the smart grid cyber security market. Utilities have — as many predicted — realized that their grids are no longer isolated or protected from attackers. According Continue reading →
You may have heard about the Smart Grid, it has become a buzz word around developments in the energy market. But not everyone knows what the grid is, let alone the Smart Grid. “The grid” refers to the electric grid that delivers electricity from the generator to the consumer. It has been recognised that traditional Continue reading →
Maxim Integrated Products MXIM +0.93% introduces the Newport smart meter reference platform. Integrating the latest in metrology, security, and powerline communications (G3-PLC) technology, this reference platform gives utilities a versatile way to evaluate smart grid technology, and gives manufacturers an easy-to-use smart-meter design to accelerate time to market. High integration and best-in-class accuracy reduce infrastructure Continue reading →
INFRAX SYSTEMS, Inc. , a global provider of unified Smart Grid-related products and services for the Energy and Utility industries, and Defendec, a leading provider of military grade surveillance systems, announced today that they had entered into a distribution agreement for the North American utility market. The Smartdec meets the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards Continue reading →
Knoxville, Tenn.-based EnerNex says it has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help deploy an interoperable and secure smart grid. Under the contract, EnerNex will provide NIST with technical resources to identify, prioritize and address new and emerging requirements for smart grid interoperability Continue reading →
First of all, kudos to Discovery News writer Eric Niiler for penning a relatively fair and balanced piece this week on smart grid security, with a decent, non-alarmist headline to boot. He quotes me a fair amount – but enough about me; it’s two of the other quotes I’d like to address. via Smart Grid: Continue reading →
Investment in cyber-security to protect smart grids will increase as utilities upgrade control systems Increasing risks to the electrical grid will require US utilities companies to invest a total of $4.1 billion (£2.5bn) between 2011 and 2018 in cyber-security for industrial control systems, research firm Pike Research said. The investments will be part of the Continue reading →
A new report by Pike Research forecasts that utilities will invest $4.1 billion in cyber security for industrial control systems (ICS) between now and 2018. The cleantech market intelligence firm also expects those investments to grow at a steady rate, from $309 million in 2011 to $692 million annually by 2018. via Smart Grid: Utilities Continue reading →
When it comes to spotting flies in the energy sector security ointment, perhaps regulators are too polite to utilities, and utilities too polite to their suppliers. No such problem with the security hackers who jump up on Black Hat’s global soap box every year and show the world what they’ve found. via Smart Grid: The Continue reading →
The Smart Grid increases our energy security by reducing dependence on oil that only gets more costly to extract or protect. The Smart Grid improves our economic security with a 21st century energy infrastructure that allows us to cost-effectively participate in competitive global markets. The Smart Grid also creates new domestic white collar and blue Continue reading →
On July 28, the California Public Utilities Commission adopted a groundbreaking privacy and security rule for Smart Grid energy usage data. The decision and attachments are here and here, respectively. The rule should be a model for other states as well as for federal Smart Grid initiatives. via California Adopts Smart Grid Privacy Rule | Continue reading →
The effort to modernize America’s electric grid is well underway, with nearly $8 billion in federal funding since 2009 and states across the country hastening to deploy everything from electronic smart meters for homes to regional sensors capable of detecting and responding to power outages. But major privacy and security problems for the smart grid Continue reading →
