Cybersecurity Archives

How Unified Physical Security Solutions are Helping Utilities

Written by Thomasina Martin on December 16, 2024. Posted in Cybersecurity.

In the US, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has identified 16 critical infrastructure sectors ranging from Food and Agriculture to Manufacturing, Communications, Public Health, Transportation, and Energy & Utilities. These sectors are so vital that any incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on the nation’s stability. Among these sectors, the Energy & Utilities sector stands out for its foundational role in supporting all the others. A reliable energy supply is crucial for economic growth, public health, and national welfare....

Why Utility Cyberattack Risks Continue to Rise

Written by Shankar Somasundaram on November 6, 2024. Posted in Cybersecurity.

As headlines continue to reinforce, cyberattackers are increasingly putting utilities’ operational technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) security to the test—some with the intent of disruption at a societal scale. A recently issued warning by U.S. and international cyber authorities cites efforts by pro-Russian hacktivists to exploit vulnerable OT systems at utilities across North America and Europe. The decentralized nature of U.S. utilities means a wide variety of cybersecurity maturity for individual targets. Authorities ask that utilities shore up protections to their...

Secure by Design

Written by Sherri Middleton on September 28, 2024. Posted in Cybersecurity.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently launched a Secure By Design initiative that provides guidance for software manufacturers to ship software solutions with security as a core consideration from the earliest stages of their development cycles. We talked with CISA’s Matthew Rogers about the process of building out the initiative and how it will impact utility security. Utility Security Magazine: Tell us more about what inspired this Secure by Design initiative. Matthew Rogers: So, it was in part inspired by a foreign affairs article titled ‘Stop Passing the...

Regulation Turmoil Ahead?

Written by Curtis Marquardt on August 28, 2024. Posted in Cybersecurity.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the decades-old case often referred to as Chevron deference—setting the stage for potential impactful changes to federal agency regulations that utilities must adhere to for current and future cybersecurity regulations. The original 1984 ruling of Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council required federal courts to defer to federal agency interpretations of laws or statutes. With this recent 2024 Supreme Court ruling, federal courts will no longer have to defer and can interpret laws and regulations. So, how will...

GridEx VII Reveals Continuing Challenges of Post-Covid Hybrid Work, Communications and Technology

Written by Curtis Marquardt on June 29, 2024. Posted in Cybersecurity.

In November 2023, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) and its Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) conducted the seventh biennial GridEx. “GridEx is one of the largest and most comprehensive security drawings that are done in any critical infrastructure sector,” said Manny Cancel, senior vice president and CEO of E-ISAC. “It has been going on for more than 14 years, and the purpose of the drill is to really exercise and stress our incident response plans in the face of serious cyber and physical security scenarios.” Interview with Manny Cancel GridEx...

How to Protect Utility Customers from Scams: A Conversation with Utilities United Against Scams Executive Director Michelle Martinez

Written by Curtis Marquardt on May 30, 2024. Posted in Cybersecurity, Utility Guardian.

With the rapid advancement of AI and other technologies, utility customers are going to face increasing and more deceptive scam efforts than ever before. This, of course, means that utility organizations will have an increasingly difficult task of educating and informing customers about utility-related scams they may encounter. Utility Security magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Curtis Marquardt Jr., sat down with Monica Martinez, the executive director for Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS). UUAS is a consortium of more than 150 U.S. and Canadian electric, water and natural gas utilities and...

Driven to Protect

Written by Curtis Marquardt on February 29, 2024. Posted in Cybersecurity.

If you were to Google the term “utility security expert,” a name that appears at the top of the list is Brian Harrell—and for good reason. Harrell has the distinguished honor of having served in key security leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. Currently, Harrell oversees physical security, cybersecurity, privacy, intelligence and business continuity units for Avangrid, an energy company with operations across 25 states. Prior to that, Harrell was appointed by the President of the United States in 2018 to serve as the sixth assistant secretary for infrastructure...

The Emerging Cybersecurity Threats and Solutions of Artificial Intelligence (And Some Resources to Help Ready You for Both)

Written by Curtis Marquardt on February 29, 2024. Posted in Cybersecurity.

As artificial intelligence solutions continue to grow into the pop culture lexicon, many envision this technology as the beginning of a dystopian nightmare that ends with us cowering away from the red glowing eye of an Arnold Schwarzenegger-skinned robot. But while the threats of a doomed Terminator-esque fate loom in the imaginations of some, others are imagining ways this evolving technology will empower utility cybersecurity professionals to improve their security posture in ways that were previously not possible. We sat down with cybersecurity and AI expert James Edgar to learn about...

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?