by Peter Manos, Smart Utility Editor
Cyber security breaches get a lot of our attention (when we hear about them, that is).
How well are manufacturers providing cyber protection for the equipment they provide to utilities?
Cyber security breaches get a lot of our attention (when we hear about them, that is). For example, one news item in 2014 that caused a great deal of outrage was a revelation regarding spyware being planted on electronics equipment.
While outrage over cyber security breaches has its place, the negative perceptions from a corrected breach, such as the 2014 NSA breach, easily stay in our minds, even after the correction. And it is way too easy for most of us to magnify cyber negatives without balancing them against cyber positives.
For one thing, most of us don’t hear about intrusions that were stopped. In addition, when manufacturers tell us they have immediately addressed a vulnerability, and/or know of no new vulnerabilities, and/or have closed any possible “back doors” in their products, it highlights our fears, rather than giving us much of a sense of comfort.
Some “cyber positives” of recent note involve a key standard, IEC 62443, which has evolved into one of the most future-oriented security standards worldwide. It goes further than other standards and defines requirements for all parties involved, including product suppliers, system integrators and operators.