NIST is Hunting for Tech to Secure the Energy Sector’s Network

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NIST is Hunting for Tech to Secure the Energy Sector’s Network
Officials want to help power companies bolster their digital defenses as re
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking input from tech and cyber experts on how to secure the countless internet-connected devices that are attached to the nation’s power grid.
On Tuesday, NIST put out a call for products and proposals that would help the energy sector lock down the industrial internet of things, the extensive web of control systems, sensors and other network-enabled devices that companies use to manage the grid.
The program will specifically focus on securing the flow of data from distributed energy resources, or DERs, which include wind turbines, solar panels and other decentralized energy storage and generation systems.
DERs are becoming commonplace as more of the country turns to renewable energy, though today federal officials worry the systems could leave the grid vulnerable to attack.
DERs rely on a wide array of internet-connected devices to share information with the central grid, though these tools share many of the same security gaps that plague the commercial internet of things.
Additionally, energy companies are turning to automation to manage their growing network of DERs, which creates more potential opportunities for digital adversaries to disrupt the grid.
“Managing the automation, the increased need for information exchanges, and the cybersecurity associated with these presents significant challenges,” NIST officials said in the program description.
“As an increasing number of DERs are connected to the grid there is a need to examine the potential cybersecurity concerns that may arise from these interconnections.”
Through the program, NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence aims to create guidance and reference architectures that energy companies could use to build stronger defenses for their digital infrastructure

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