Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Development
    • IT Management

    Smart Grid Security in the Spotlight at Black Hat

    By
    Brian Prince
    -
    July 21, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Two security researchers are calling for the utility industry to pay close attention to securing smart grid technology as the nation upgrades its power infrastructure.

      In separate presentations next week at the Black Hat security conference, researchers Mike Davis and Tony Flick will be making the case that the energy industry has work to do when it comes to security.

      “A lot of the security issues that are popping up are kind of frightening, and we’re sort of pushing the idea of more security review, more generalized security engineering…reviews, source code audits, the whole sort of works has to apply to these meters as well as they apply to everything else,” said Davis, senior security consultant at IOActive.
      The calls for better security come three months after reports surfaced of attackers targeting the U.S. power grid. In his presentation, Davis plans to identify vulnerabilities he and a team of IOActive researchers uncovered on smart meter platforms.

      “Generally the smart grid wouldn’t have much to do with security just as a stupid sensor network,” Davis said. “The problem is a lot of these companies are putting a lot of effort into adding a bunch of sort of whiz bang features that they believe the various utilities are going to want. For example, the thing that sort of alarms us the most is that they’re adding relays to a lot of these smart meters – basically the ability for the meter itself to turn itself on and off based on a remote command from central office.”

      “The sort of idea that they’re [pursuing] this with is that if customers don’t pay their bills, they can disconnect them and then when they do pay their bill they can reconnect them immediately, nobody has to wait…that now means these meters have an extremely high value as a target,” he added.

      Like Davis, Flick contends more security needs to be built into smart grid initiatives and technology. Using the city of Miami’s plans to roll out a citywide smart grid infrastructure by 2011 as an entry point, he plans to discuss the development of standards for securing smart grid technology.

      The National Institute of Standards and Technology has already released a three-phase plan for developing standards for the technology, but Flick predicts the standards will face some of the same security concerns surrounding PCI- DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) – particularly if organizations are left to police themselves. In the end, security needs to be built into smart grid projects from start to finish, he added.

      Both Flick and Davis are scheduled to give their talks July 30. For additional information about the conference, visit the Black Hat Website.

      Brian Prince
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×