Episode #18: Cybersecurity and utilities - how to solve and prevent cyber attacks

As electricity systems around the world digitalise in order to transition to renewable energy sources, they become increasingly vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. How do we address these cyber security vulnerabilities? Experts from Networked Energy Services (NES), OSGP Alliance and the Danish utility Cerius share their insights in this podcast episode.

Policymakers and utility operators are fighting a much-sophisticated battle in order to keep any potential threat far away from their systems and customers. Which are the most common threats and what is the new profile of your average cybercriminal? And more importantly, is your utility ready to prevent a cyberattack?

Our host, Smart Energy International editor and Enlit Europe content director, Areti Ntaradimou, speaks with:

Jon Wells | Chairman of the OSGP Alliance | Technical Committee

The OSGP is a global non-profit association dedicated to promoting the adoption of the Open Smart Grid Protocol (OSGP) and infrastructure for smart grid applications towards a future proof modern smart grid. Jon has 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, moving into the similar industry of smart grid a 5 years ago. Through this time, Jon was involved in helping telecommunications network operators align to the relevant O&M standards, including TeleManagement Forum (TMF) and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). He can bring the experience of the telecommunications industry into the arena of smart grids, quickly drawing upon the parallels to assess opportunities for cost reduction, efficiency improvement and customer experience improvement through the application of standards and use this to develop relevant and practical business cases for DSOs. Jon has held director roles in technical consulting, business consulting, and business development and is currently VP of Customer Solutions for Networked Energy Services.

Emil Gurevitch | Senior Security Architect | Networked Energy Services (NES)

Emil is a member of the OSGP Alliance, the global non-profit association dedicated to the adoption of the Open Smart Grid Protocol. He helps promote, architect, and deploy secure smart grids. Emil has over 18 years of experience in identifying and remediating cybersecurity vulnerabilities in critical systems, most recently in power grids. Emil was Smart Grid Security Lead at a large utility in Europe, helped develop cryptographic security solutions at IBM, and holds an MSc in Computer Science specialising in Information Security. Today, he is Senior Security Architect at NES, where he helps develop secure Smart Grid products and threat detection solutions.

Bo Danielsen | Head of Metering and Installation | Cerius

Bo has been in the utility industry for the last 10 years working on the implementation and rollout of smart meters and relates headend and MDM systems. He has a technical background as a certified electrician and has been working in the industry for his entire 30 years career in different positions. He also holds a bachelor degree on the commercial and business side

Today, Bo serves as Head of Meters and Installations at th Danish utility Cerius and is responsible for 1,4 million meters together with the customers' support.

This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Networked Energy Services (NES).

More about cybersecurity

To learn more about defending the smart grid from cyber attacks in six steps, watch the below video and follow the link to find out more about software applications that can help you every step of the way.