New Developments in Power Grids Protection against Cyber Threats

New Developments in Power Grids Protection against Cyber Threats

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Power grids and utility SCADA systems may be volneruable to a variety of threats, including cyber attacks.  might be a target to such attacks. These threats has urged cybersecurity  experts in the US to think about original approaches and develop creative methods to confront them.

One of the projects is the new program to develop new data analysis methods to better protect the US power grid.

According to the Homeland Security News Wire, the project is aimed at developing technologies and methodologies to protect the grid from advanced cyber threats. The new method distinguishes between power grid failures caused by cyber attacks and failures caused by other means, including natural disasters, “normal” equipment failures, and even physical attacks.

Cybersecurity experts from LLNL and Berkeley Lab are leading the new program. The project, “Threat Detection and Response with Data Analytics,” is part of a $220 million, three-year Grid Modernization Initiative launched in January 2016 by the US Department of Energy to support research and development in power grid modernization.

The goal of this project is to develop technologies and methodologies to protect the grid from advanced cyber and threats through the collection of data from a range of sources and then use advanced analytics to identify threats and how best to respond to them.

In addition to LLNL and Berkeley Lab, DOE’s Idaho, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, and Sandia national laboratories are also participating in the project. To make the scientific results more realistic and more usable by the power industry, the group is also partnering with the Electric Power Board and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which will help provide data and collaborate in transferring the technology to the power industry.

The Energy Department’s Grid Modernization Initiative represents a comprehensive effort to help shape the future of the American grid and solve the challenges of integrating conventional and renewable sources with energy storage and smart buildings, while ensuring that the grid is resilient and secure to withstand growing cybersecurity and climate challenges.