Wurldtech Looks to Improve Smart Grid Security

Wurldtech Security Technologies, supplier of industrial cyber security testing and certification solutions for critical infrastructure industries, has revealed a detailed strategic initiative designed to help improve the security of the Smart Grid.

The effort includes: the addition of wireless communication capabilities into the Achilles Satellite security & robustness testing platform to diagnose and remediate vulnerabilities in Smart Grid technology; the expansion of the Achilles cyber security certification program to include resilience benchmarks for smart grid devices and applications; and the creation of the world’s first cyber security research institute and global center of excellence for energy infrastructure protection with particular short-term focus on Smart Grid issues.

“The Smart Grid is critical to our sustainable energy future,” Tyler Williams, CEO of Wurldtech said, “but the bulk power industry has had little necessity for cyber security in the past because critical control networks were isolated from the litany of IT threats that could jeopardize process integrity and reliability.

"The advantages of Smart Grid however, require increased connectivity, including a reliance on the internet, and if we don’t move quickly to make functional security an integral part of the Smart Grid initiatives, we may find ourselves in the unfavourable position of attempting to fix the car while driving at full speed.”

The Achilles Satellite is a stand-alone platform designed to allow equipment manufacturers to conduct standardized cyber security and robustness testing to identify vulnerabilities in IP-enabled computers systems before their deployed in critical infrastructure networks. The Achilles testing technology, claims Wurldtech, is relied upon by almost all major global automation vendors and has made enormous improvements in both the reliability and resilience of the computer systems that operate critical infrastructure around the world.

By adding additional capabilities to the Achilles platform, enabling security testing over common smart grid protocols such as IEC 61850/870, and the new wireless protocols based on 802.11 and 802.15.4 (WirelessHART, ISA100.11a and ZigBee), suppliers of smart grid devices and applications can benefit from the same advantages previously reserved for the traditional SCADA and control system vendors. Wurldtech also palns to announce the first Achilles Certified Smart Meter next month and is actively encouraging electric utility end-users to follow the stewardship of the oil and gas sector and mandate their suppliers achieve Achilles certification.

Also announced was the signing of an MOU between Wurldtech and The University of British Columbia (UBC) that provides the framework to create the world’s first Cyber Security Research Institute and Global Center of Excellence for energy infrastructure protection aimed at promoting global standards and functional cyber security consciousness in the energy sector. It will be funded directly by leading energy companies, government agencies and other industry stakeholders.