EPES and smart GRIDS: practical tools and methods fight against cyber and privacy attacks

The Electrical Power and Energy System (EPES) is of key importance to the economy, as all other domains that rely on the availability of electricity. With the growing use of digital devices and advanced communications and interconnected systems, the EPES is increasingly exposed to external cyber-threats, and therefore they requires an attentive evaluation of the cyber security risk that allows taking proper countermeasures.

On the other hand, despite Smart Grids (SG) support a dynamic two-way information exchange between utility companies and their customers, contributing towards a smart and sustainable energy management in Europe and the establishment of a wiser energy consumption mentality, the power grid is also exposed to security threats inherited from the ICT sector, while privacy issues and new vulnerabilities, related to the specific characteristics of the Smart Grids infrastructure, are emerging.

Attacks to EPES and SG may lead to cascading failures, ranging from destruction of other interconnected critical infrastructures to loss of human lives.

The European Commission adopted in April 2019 a sector-specific guidance that identifies the main actions required to preserve cybersecurity and be prepared for possible cyberattacks in the energy sector, taking into account the characteristics of the sector such as the real-time requirements, the risk of cascading effects and the combination of legacy systems with new technologies. Join us on this webinar where the projects EnergySHIELD, SDN-Microsense, SealedGRID and DEFeND will present their solutions to protect EPES and Smart Grids against cyber-threats, and preserve consumers' privacy.

Detailed info on the agenda and speakers are available on the Cyberwatching.eu website.