How much damage cyber attacks on smart electricity grid can cause
WSJ reported sporadic incidents highlighting intrusion of cyber spies in to US electricity grid over last few months. This has set alarm bells ringing in the US administration. Attackers through internet try to search around for weak links on the networks. Once inside the network, they have the same powers as that of system administrators.
The incidents which have been noticed, did not lead to any serious problems. But they potential to cause serious damages.
Surprisingly these intrusions were not noticed by infrastructure companies but by the intelligence officials. As more and more systems migrates to internet for intelligently controlling the grid, the chances of such attacks increase. Any single intrusion can lead to disruption in power, tripping of transmission lines, collapse of grid due to over drawl from the system etc. Each of this disruption can have serious repercussions. Just think of a spy getting the controls of Nuclear Power Plant. Mere thought of that, is really scary.
US have upped the ante and are spending a lot on securing government networks. But more efforts are needed to de-link server administration control from grid control. Effective firewalls are also required to be deployed at every vantage point.
Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair recently told lawmakers.
“Over the past several years, we have seen cyber-attacks against critical infrastructures abroad, and many of our own infrastructures are as vulnerable as their foreign counterparts. A number of nations, including Russia and China, can disrupt elements of the U.S. information infrastructure.”
Suggestions to improve the security of cyber assets are many but what is more important is discipline. North American Electric Reliability Corp hope to begin auditing the systems to bring about any security loopholes which are required to be plugged.
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