![]() ![]() Disruption of Energy availability (interruption or electricity black outs).A deep setup in systems to control or monitor them.Sensitive data theft (such as nuclear plant architecture) to be sold in the black market or to enemy countries.Complex viruses can attack at different levels: Mainly, there a different type of attacks which result in consequences that can harm from a single smart meter to a large perimeter in a smart grid or even theoretically a whole country. ![]() SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) which are automated systems that control and monitor a site equipment in a centralized way were used for example during the Stuxnet attack. The more smart grid networks have become connected though connected devices, the more breaches were opened for potential attacks. States and organized entities are behind attacks against electrical networks which can lead to blackouts and even the destruction of facilities. This has opened an era of intense cyber-attacks which were beyond isolated viruses and extremists’ hacker groups. Ģ017 have known an increase of cyber-attacks which grew even more in 2018 as described by the United States Department of Homeland Security from Russian infiltration into American Electrical network to more than 4300 cyber-attacks of the French network (Electricity Transmission Network known as RTE). Consequently, users couldn’t reach the support to warn about the breakdown. It went further after attacking utilities equipment as it launched a coordinated Denial-of-service attack on the support phone number of companies who manage the power station. This attack was done using spearphishing and a Trojan horse called BlackEnergy which was able to delete data, destroy hard drives and take control of infected computers. It was able to slow down and even block completely the activity of a large part of the uranium enrichment process.ĭecember 25, 2015, in a civil war context, an electrical power station in Ivano-Frankivsk In Ukraine suffered from a cyber-attack that put 80 000 persons in the dark. Developed by a hostile state, Stuxnet was a powerful and structured virus that was able to infiltrate industrial programmable automatons which control electrically the centrifuges in the Natanz uranium complex. In 2007, the spectacular attack of the Iran nuclear power station has slowed down the main development of nuclear energy in the country. The introduction of computers and complex devices to modernize the electric grids has opened breaches of security leading to cyber-attacks that use computers vulnerabilities to penetrate networks. It has helped optimize production, distribution, consumption and storage of energy. ![]() Smart grids have been an important part of electricity networks including different tools such as computer science technologies and connected devices. This article gives an overview of smart grids in the Energy Sector, cyber-attacks that happened the past decade and finally the solutions set up by governments and companies to secure the electrical grid. From small viruses built by isolated groups to massive and complex cyber-attacks done by states and bigger entities electrical power stations and nuclear facilities have shown breaches that governments must deal with. However, this quick development of smart grids coupled with IoT devices have brought the issue of cyber-attacks. From smart meters, smart appliances to renewable energy resources energy has been provided through innovative technologies leading to a better control of consumption, use of data in real time and adjustments of energy flows for the main objective of an efficient management of the electrical network. Smart grids have been developing for the past decades as an important part of the energy ecosystem. ![]()
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