08.12.2012                      24.Kislew. 5773                      Wajeshew, Schabbat Mewarchim

Feature:

Infrastructure: New playground for cyber attacks

As renewable energy technology and electricity infrastructure advance, planners must be cautious.

As innovators attempt to increase energy efficiency and accessibility by interconnecting utilities and their endpoints to virtual smart grids, consumers and producers alike will increasingly face the threat of cyber security’s ultimate intruder – the professional hacker.
Smart grids – electricity grids that provide real-time digital access to consumption behaviors and optimize electricity distribution – may create a cleaner environment, increase energy efficiency and save significant amounts of money, according to industry professionals. However, these information and communications technology (ICT) systems also open up a region’s – or country’s – utilities to the malicious efforts of those looking to penetrate such a system….