https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Events
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • Microwave/RF
    • T&D World
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Events
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • WHY ATTEND
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Registration Opens April 2019-Join Our Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Cybersecurity


Partner content

Energy-grid security gets more challenging with IoT

Energy-grid security gets more challenging with IoT

  • Written by Rich Castagna / IoT World Today
  • 19th August 2020

Today, IoT networks in the power utilities sector are besieged by myriad security threats. These assaults come from an assortment of malicious sources and target virtually every element of grid-based operations. And by their nature, the complex and wide-reaching networks that deliver power to billions of endpoints are perhaps among the most vulnerable. If that sounds dangerous, it should.

Grid operators are well aware of the perils that could disrupt their network operations and the reams of data they collect daily. Regardless of your enterprise’s vertical, if your infrastructure includes an IoT network, the challenges of securing it are usually exponentially greater than those associated with securing a traditional networked environment.

In a Siemens and the Ponemon Institute survey on utilities and cyberthreats 64% of responding utilities cited “sophisticated attacks” as a top challenge for their operational infrastructure. More than half of the respondents — 54% — glumly predicted that they expected “an attack on critical infrastructure” within 12 months.

The 1,700-plus respondents  had good reason for their concern and pessimism: 56% said their organizations had suffered at least one attack in the past 12 months that resulted in a loss of private data or that created an outage. Adding to their uneasiness is the estimate that 30% of cyberattacks on operational technology (OT) go undetected.

Yet another survey by 451 Research bolsters the premise that security is front of mind for utilities. Asked what they consider the biggest challenges related to deploying IoT technology, 42% ranked security concerns No. 1.

Energy Sector Is More Threatened Than Ever

Various developments have turned energy environments into security minefields and are directly related to the changing nature and growing sophistication of utilities’ IoT-enabled grids.

“We see not just IoT but IIoT as presenting challenges for what was the traditional conceptual approach to thinking about cybersecurity, which was the concept of having a perimeter — and if you secured the perimeter and you did everything you could to make that as hard and robust and resilient as possible, then you were confident that your assets and your data inside of that network were protected,” noted Christine Hertzog, a principal technical leader focused on cybersecurity  at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

But the concept of creating a secure network perimeter has lost relevance for energy utilities and other organizations, given the rise of IoT connectivity, remote working and other factors.

Grids also have a greater reach than just a few years ago, so they connect to more devices, partners and customers to both provide power and share data. These capabilities increase vulnerability, or what information security professionals refer to as a wider “attack surface.”

“Five, ten years ago, you had a network that was not really instrumented with any digital devices, so it was all static and  physical security was really all they’re worried about,” said Mike Kelly, senior research analyst at Guidehouse. “But when you have billions of devices — whether on the power lines, at the substation, in the homes — you essentially have this entirely new network of devices that are vulnerable to attack.”

To read the complete article, visit IoT World Today.

 

Tags: Alerting Systems Analytics Applications Artificial Intelligence Coverage/Interference Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Drones/Robots Federal Government/Military Funding Incident Command/Situational Awareness Internet of Things Interoperability IoT/Smart X News Policy Regional Coordination Security Standards State & Local Government Tracking, Monitoring & Control UTC Partner content

Related


  • Driver and passenger monitoring brings zero cabin privacy
    Driver monitoring is key to the growing requirements, globally, for improved road safety, with regulatory and safety bodies in Europe acknowledging its importance. This trend extends globally as the USA becomes focused on a road safety agenda to address risks posed by emerging semi- and fully-automated vehicle technologies. Europe has taken the lead, Euro NCAP […]
  • Attackers compromised code-checking vendor's tool for two months
    In a software supply-chain attack reminiscent of the SolarWinds compromise, unknown attackers used a vulnerable tool published by code checking firm Codecov for a little over two months to collect sensitive development information from the company’s clients. Codecov, which provides tools and services to check how well software tests are covering code under development, in […]
  • Will the feds set our broadband Internet prices?
    Will the feds set our broadband Internet prices?
    New York Governor Andrew Cuomo late last week signed a bill that requires all Internet service providers operating in the state to offer a $15 a month broadband option to low-income consumers. The action comes just months after lawmakers in California authorized legislation activating net neutrality rules in the state. Taken together, the developments raise the prospect of […]
  • Newscan: Chinese hackers compromise dozens of government agencies, defense contractors
    Newscan: Chinese hackers compromise dozens of government agencies, defense contractors
    Web Roundup Items from other news organizations Chinese hackers compromise dozens of government agencies, defense contractors Video captures cop fatally shooting fleeing suspect on California highway Florida task force sounds alarm bell on police radio network Broadband as a utility could happen in New York, if bill is passed What early users of SpaceX’s Starlink […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Klobuchar pledges support for NG911 funding, does not address specifics of proposal
  • Ubiquiti's latest hack highlights troubled security path for operators
  • Dependency problems increase for open-source components
  • How smart environments will take shape post-COVID-19

Commentary


Unlocking the power of ESInets: Different NG911 provisioning approaches exist; level of control is key differentiator

7th April 2021

Ransomware? Let’s call it what it really is: extortionware

21st February 2021

Redefining communications for today’s mobile workforces

18th February 2021
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

RT @InformaTechHQ: Happy #WorldEarthDay! To mark the day our CEO Gary Nugent highlights the importance of technology and how it can be a dr…

22nd April 2021
UrgentComm

RT @Airgain: T-minus 14 days until our virtual panel with @UrgentComm. Listen to our panel of industry leaders as they share their firsthan…

22nd April 2021
UrgentComm

Driver and passenger monitoring brings zero cabin privacy dlvr.it/Ry9BSK

21st April 2021
UrgentComm

In this comprehensive report, @OmdiaHQ delivers a landscape and forecast for LTE and #5G technology serving the nee… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

21st April 2021
UrgentComm

Attackers compromised code-checking vendor’s tool for two months dlvr.it/Ry7c0F

21st April 2021
UrgentComm

Will the feds set our broadband Internet prices? dlvr.it/Ry7bx0

21st April 2021
UrgentComm

Newscan: Chinese hackers compromise dozens of government agencies, defense contractors dlvr.it/Ry7MYD

21st April 2021
UrgentComm

Florida secures radio-system revenue for five years, agencies await clarity on statewide LMR dlvr.it/Ry4Wb8

20th April 2021

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • Microwave/RF
  • T&D World
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X