Report Finds Cybersecurity Constant Problem for Power Companies
24 May 2013
Two USA House Democrats, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Henry Waxman of California issued a report on May 21 during an Energy and Commerce Committee meeting in the House on cybersecurity and cyber attacks. Some utilities that were surveyed said they have cyber attacks daily, frequently and on a constant basis. Activist hackers or cyber criminals are targeting energy and have done so for the last few years, the report says.
A prototype lets SCADA devices police one another in order to catch and cut off a power plant or factory floor device that has suffered a compromise. A new algorithm can detect devices not conducting their usual work. The secure distributed control program can work within SCADA systems, such as robots or PLCs, with embedded software. The software, developed by researchers at North Carolina State University, detects and then isolates a compromised device.
DHS: Critical infrastructure threats up 68% in 2012
24 May 2013
National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) Director Larry Zelvin and NPPD Office of Cybersecurity and Communications acting Assistant Secretary Roberta Stempfley, in written testimony, told the US House Committee on Homeland Security that in 2012, US-CERT processed approximately 190,000 cyber incidents involving Federal agencies, critical infrastructure and the Department of Homeland Security’s industry partners – a staggering 68% increase from 2011.
The first complete smart grid scale is already running in Florida
24 May 2013
The first comprehensive and large scale smart grid is now operating. The $800 million project, built in Florida, has made power outages shorter and less frequent, and helped some customers save money, according to the utility that operates it. Smart grids should be far more resilient than conventional grids, which is important for surviving storms, and make it easier to install more intermittent sources of energy like solar power.
25th Annual FIRST Conference. Incident response: Sharing to win
17 May 2013
The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) annual conference provides a setting for conference participants to attend a wide range of presentations delivered by leading experts in both the CSIRT field and from the global security community. It also creates opportunities for networking, collaboration, and sharing technical information and management practices. This event will take place on June 16-21 in Bangkok (Thailand).
DHS Raises Alarm Over Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure
17 May 2013
Private companies in the energy industry, as well as those providing critical infrastructure services like electricity and water, have been put on notice, watching out for possible cyberattacks focusing on sabotage, not theft. The U.S. government issued the warning after noticing a recent rise in probes of company networks. Those attempts mostly came from the Middle East.
Experts thinks that companies and government are unprepared for new wave of cybersabotage
17 May 2013
A new wave of cyberattacks reportedly aimed at industrial control systems comes at a time when private companies and government are still struggling to protect the nation's critical infrastructure, experts say. Intelligence not the only part of government that has struggled. Senate has not moved on legislation to back President's order on cybersecurity.
Industrial Networking and Security: What Not To Do
10 May 2013
In this article are presented the seven most common mistakes in one of the most significant new industrial technologies to emerge in the last ten years, namely industrial Ethernet.
ICS-CERT reports two hacks on building management systems
10 May 2013
The latest issue of the ICS-CERT Monitor has described two similar hacks that happened last year where attackers used a weak credentials vulnerability to gain access to buildings’ energy management system (EMS), Tridium Niagara. The hacks highlight two fundamental problems with ICS systems: their age and their connection to the internet.
This conference and exhibition with its keynotes, workshops, and tabletop exercises will identify the political, regulatory, intelligence, and operational challenges we face to keep our critical infrastructure secure and resilient. We will look at the latest emerging threats and discuss available solutions. It will took place on October 7-8 in Annapolis (USA).