Protecting Your Smart Grid

Smart grid presents an opportunity to improve reliability and security but also requires constant vigilance and proactive steps to address new risks to automated metering.

A feature in Transmission & Distribution World's July issue addresses cyber security and how it is critical to keeping the lights on. The article, by two experts in cyber security and IT compliance, explains where security standards are and how  they are being applied. They contend that security standards currently fall short of what is needed to provide maximum assurance of reliability.

The feature describes how automated metering infrastructure works and how it is threatened specifically. What if a hacker were to compromise the application or even the meters themselves? "A threat with access to the application that controls all of the meters may not be a greater danger than a hacker with access to a physical meter. If a hacker gains direct access to the application or programs with a virus or other malware in the application, the hacker may be able to command the computer to disconnect all circuits under its control, resulting in a blackout," the authors note.

Utilities and energy companies can analyze their own systems for vulnerabilities, and this article explains what to consider. "The best way for utilities to provide assurance that their cyber security risk is being properly managed is to require their smart grid elements to adhere to a standard set of security principles."