Imagine if the smart guys from the SANS Institute came to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and told them there it was impossible that the smart grid could be effectively secured. What are the chances that FERC and other state regulators would put the brakes on this new modern power infrastructure? The reality is that the chances would be very low, as the smart grid is coming hell or high water.
With that, the smart grid in its full-form is imminent and it is anybody’s guess on how secure it ultimately will be. In Applied Cyber Security and the Smart Grid: Implementing Security Controls into the Modern Power Infrastructure, authors Eric Knapp and Raj Samani provide and excellent overview on what the smart grid is and how it can be secured. The book offers many glimmers of hope from a security and privacy perspective. The hope can shine if the security controls are correctively and effectively implemented.
Knapp is a veteran SCADA and smart grid security guru. His previous book Industrial Network Security: Securing Critical Infrastructure Networks for Smart Grid, SCADA, and Other Industrial Control Systems, which I reviewed here, is an equally valuable resource.
The book provides an introduction to the smart grid, details its architecture, and then enumerates the security and privacy issues around it. There are numerous security models for SCADA and the smart grid which the book enumerates.
For those looking for a detailed and technical introduction to smart grid security and a synopsis of the security and privacy issues, Applied Cyber Security and the Smart Grid: Implementing Security Controls into the Modern Power Infrastructure is a great place to start.
