CYBER ATTACKS AND GRID DISRUPTION
Around 63% of utility executives believe their country faces at least a moderate risk of electricity supply interruption from a cyber attack on electric distribution grids in the next five years.
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he figure is based on global consulting and professional services company Accenture’s new report Outsmarting Grid Security Threats. The company surveyed more than 100 utilities executives from over 20 countries for the report that reveals interruptions to the power supply from cyber attacks as the most serious concern, cited by 57% of respondents. The respondents were equally worried about the physical threat to the distribution grid with 53% of executives citing employee and/ or customer safety, and 43% of executives citing the destruction of physical assets as their biggest concerns. “As highly sophisticated, weaponised malware is being developed, a greater risk to distribution businesses arises from cybercriminals and others who would use it for malicious purposes,” said Stephanie
Jamison, managing director, Accenture Transmission and Distribution. “Attacks on industrial control systems could disrupt grid reliability and the safety and wellbeing of employees and the public. Not getting it right could be a brand killer, as well as a real threat for a country and the community.” While the increased connectivity of industrial control systems enabled by the smart grid will drive significant benefits in the form of safety, productivity, improved quality of service and operational efficiency, 88% agreed that cybersecurity is a major concern in smart grid deployment. Distribution utilities are also increasingly exposed by the growth of connected Internet of Things (IoT) domestic devices, such as connected home hubs and smart appliances. These bring a new risk to distribution companies, which is hard to quantify, with
14 ECD [ELECTRICAL+COMMS+DATA] - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
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