An Energy Department lab is testing software that could make it faster and easier for utilities to identify problems that could lead to outages. There’s long been speculation that terrorists might try to launch attacks on the nation’s electricity grids, and that at least some elements of such attacks might involve hacking into utilities’ Scada (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems or other core IT or operational infrastructure. The industry is taking steps to avert that: Testing of new software planned to take place at a federal government laboratory in Idaho this year could result in a leap in cybersecurity for the utility industry. Separately, the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) by the middle of January plans to publish a new cybersecurity standard to cover thousands of unprotected electrical substations. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), which includes facilities spread out across an 890-square-mile area in the southeastern part of the state, has as one of its missions testing systems that ultimately should help electric utilities and system operators across the country protect their infrastructure, operations, and apps from real-world and cyberenemies and hackers. Its technology mirrors real-world utility infrastructures, including systems, and wireless technology and processes. Full Story
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