![]() For example, hospitals have to rely on backup power generators, if available. Stopping the electricity supply not only causes inconvenience to the users, it would also disrupt operations in an emergency situation. Hackers target the critical infrastructure of a modern city to cause disruption. ![]() However, the network-based, interconnected infrastructure often raises security concerns. Smart cities can take advantage of remote IoT capabilities to increase efficiency and provide insight for future city planning. ![]() Modern, connected power grids provide the convenience of remote monitoring, decentralized control, load balancing for alternative sources, and data analytics. “Traditionally, the power grids have been predominantly isolated infrastructures,” said Neeraj Paliwal, vice president and general manager of Rambus Security. We’ve just seen a sliver of what’s possible.”Ĭonnectivity makes the security issue much worse. And some of these attacks can be devastating. But I also can knock out everything connected to it. If I find a vulnerability in a power meter, I can knock out your power. “Our national critical infrastructure is extremely hackable,” said Andreas Kuehlmann, CEO of Tortuga Logic. Power grids are particularly vulnerable, and the potential entry points of those attacks are everywhere. The Significant Cyber Incidents list furnished by the Center for Strategic and International Studies notes the alarming trend of cyberattacks becoming more frequent and destructive. The impact of cyberattacks potentially can be even more severe. In 2019, a California power disruption left 248 hospitals without electricity. That failure was felt across the state, with 11 million people freezing for three days. The recent failure of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which was caused by a severe winter storm in February 2021, provides a glimpse of the potential consequences. State-sponsored cybercriminals have a mission to steal, disrupt, and more importantly, cause damage to the victims’ operations and critical infrastructure. More recently, the attackers have been threatening to expose the stolen data if their demands are not granted.Ĭyber warfare is more complicated. They demand a ransom by locking up the victims’ operations. Cybercriminals attempt to extract money from vulnerable targets using different techniques, including ransomware. In other words, cyberattacks can happen anywhere and at any time, and with this level of capability, no entity is immune.Ĭyber attackers’ motives primarily fall into two categories - financial gain and weapons of war. ![]() Intelligence Community Report (page 20), countries with cyberattack capabilities targeting critical infrastructure include Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. And the cyber criminals who breached Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, the South Korean nuclear and hydroelectric company, in 2014 posted plans and manuals for two nuclear reactors online and exposed 10,000 employees’ personal data.Īccording to the Annual Threat Assessment Report of the U.S. A similar attack happened the following year. Ukraine’s grid was attacked in 2015, leaving 200,000 households without power. Other successful cyberattacks include those on the Russian power grid in 2019 and Saudi Aramco petrochemical plants in 2017. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), which represents 42 European transmission system operators in 35 countries, was hacked in 2020. As the profitability of hacking these systems grows, so does the number of attacks. Without power, none of this works, and sophisticated cybercriminal operations can hold large regions hostage until they pay enormous ransoms or give into other demands. Unlike in the past, when a power outage affected just the electricity supplied to homes and businesses, power grids are becoming core elements of smart cities, infrastructure, and safety-related services. ![]() Cyberattacks are becoming as troublesome to the electrical power grid as natural disasters, and the problem is growing worse as these grids become more connected and smarter. ![]()
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