Forbes Chimes in on Smart Grid Security

Just ahead of Congress' release of draft legislation intended to protect the grid, Forbes mag yesterday discussed the timing and motivation for the "Critical Electric Infrastructure Protection Act (CEIPA), a bill aimed at tightening the cybersecurity of the U.S. power grid."

In particular, this part of the Forbes article will resonate for anyone involved in web security:

Josh Pennell, IOActive's chief executive and founder, argues that smart meters in general are being pushed to market too fast to build them securely. "What you have is a highly accelerated product space," he says. "Smart-grid systems are being designed like it's 1990, as if everyone with access to them is our friend."

Well said.

Wonk's Take on Smart Grid Security

Some good points in this one , including:

The requirements are different enough for this sector that funding for cybersecurity research and implementation should be an integral part of the electricity grid stimulus spending.

Sounds like a case for not trying to bolt security on after the fact.  Hmmm ... novel approach.

NERC's Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIPs) in Detail

Often you'll see the 8 CIPs by title in a list:

• Critical Cyber Asset Identification
  
• Security Management Controls
  
• Personnel and Training
  
• Electronic Security Perimeters
  
• Physical Security of Critical Cyber Assets
  
• System Security Management
  
• Incident Reporting and Response Planning, and
  
• Recovery Plans for Critical Cyber Assets
  

If you'd like to drill down deeper on any or all of the above, this NERC page is where you want to go (note, you'll have to select the CIP tab when you get there, I can't do that for you).

IEE Maps out Smart Grid progress

See how your state is doing versus the rest on the Smart Grid incentives map and utility scale smart meter deployment map created by the Institute for Electric Efficiency.

Discovery's Top 10 V2G Round-up

If/when electric cars become an important smart grid storage or load balancing component, the security ramifications get ratcheted up. In the meantime, small pilots with a comparative handful of electric or hybrid-electric cars are hitting the street. See here for nice overview.

Photo: Discovery Communications

NPR on Electricity in America

Airing this week, this series looks (or perhaps, sounds) promising.

EPRI's Standards Roadmap Role

In case you missed it, here's the press release that announced NIST's selection of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) as the lead org for building the "Interim Roadmap". With so many different players, formulation of, and agreement on, common standards may be the biggest obstacle facing a successful smart grid build-out. Good luck EPRI !!!