Adding wind farms, solar panels and smart meters to the power distribution system opens additional portals through which hackers can attack the grid, according to computer security experts advising governments and utilities. The communication networks and software that link green energy sources to the grid as well as the electronic meters that send real time power usage to consumers and utilities are providing new back-door entry paths for computer hackers to raise havoc with the grid. A new multitude of energy inputs is forcing grid managers to run systems that communicate real-time data on power flows to consumers and power plants, bringing networks that were previously closely controlled into contact with computer and telecommunication systems used by millions. There have been documented attacks, both cyber and physical on the electric grid which resulted in equipment damage, service disruption and long term repair, said Sean McGurk, global manager for critical infrastructure protection at Verizon Communications. Utility chief executive officers began meeting last year with senior Homeland Security officials on ways to detect attacks, block them, and restore power quickly when one succeeds, said Scott Aaronson, senior director for national security policy at the Edison Electric Institute, a utility trade group. Any time you introduce more software, you introduce more complexity and inevitably more potential holes to the system, said Gavin OGorman, a threat intelligence analyst at Symantec, the Mountain View security company that identified the Dragonfly threat. #SF #News #49ers
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 21:58:28 +0000