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Richard Brooks

Co-Founder and Lead Software Engineer Reliable Energy Analytics LLC

Successful developer of Energy Industry B2B and Cyber security standards at North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) (www.naesb.org) since 1995; ANSI Meritorious Service Award Recipient;...

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Apr 15, 2021 4:16 pm GMTApr 15, 2021 4:19 pm GMT
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If 25% of US utilities downloaded the malicious SolarWinds software, could the grid go down Ukraine-style? | POWERGRID International

If 25% of US utilities downloaded the malicious SolarWinds software, could the grid go down Ukraine-style? | Cybersecurity

Source: www.power-grid.com

The earlier disclosure of Companies that were impacted by the Solarwinds breach did not identify the impact on Grid Operators and others involved in providing a reliable Electric Grid. This story lists the Energy industry impact of Solarwinds.

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Matt Chester on Apr 15, 2021

Really hope the leaders in charge are paying attention to this and it won't lead to a massive event for them to act and ask 'why didn't we pay attention sooner'

In that light, thanks for keeping us abreast on the developments coming across and helping to push that dialogue, Dick!

Richard Brooks on Apr 15, 2021

Thanks, Matt. Smaller utilities in particular need help defending against software supply chain attacks. Any successful attack on the grid, including a Muni or Coop, can have devastating impacts, such as blackouts. Even if a successful attack only effects a couple thousand customers, it's still a painful experience for those customers.

Mark Silverstone on Apr 22, 2021

Is it conceivable that generating facilities´ critical safety and control systems are at risk, e.g. loss of cooling water, emergency shut-down systems, etc., and vulnerable to cyber attacks?

Bob Meinetz on Apr 25, 2021

Conceivable, but impossible at nuclear plants. They're built with control systems completely "air-gapped" from the outside world.

The smart people who deesign them thought of that a long time ago.

Mark Silverstone on Apr 26, 2021

Somehow, I am not confident that that is true. Anything with an internal network can be bridged to outside, easily.

But I am hoping that a systems expert among our readers will add something here.

Richard Brooks on Apr 27, 2021

I'm guessing that some wireless technologies have made their way inside a Nuclear plant, penetrating the air gap. But I have no hard evidence.

Mark Silverstone on Apr 28, 2021

Thanks. It seems inconceivable that they would still be relying on 1970´s technology to deal with 2020´s malware merchants. But stranger things have happened.

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If 25% of US utilities downloaded the malicious SolarWinds software, could the grid go down Ukraine-style? | POWERGRID International

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A couple questions... What is a typical breakeven distance for DC vs AC for submarine cable?

Thank you for the post. We need to change the billing structure developed by Samuel Insull about 100 years ago.

Disaster in the making: a monopoly owning the country's interstate electicity transmission network.

What sort of nuances does the distribution network have to deal with that are unique compared with the transmission network?

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