A new report from The Renewables Consulting Group (RCG), and cybersecurity company, Cylance , provides insight into cybersecurity for the renewable energy industry, focusing on threat and impact assessment, and on measures to improve cyber protection.
The security of a renewable energy asset can be broken down into two main components; physical security and cybersecurity. A successful cyber-attack has the potential, not just to cause the loss of personal and commercial information, or cause damage to electronic resources, but also to damage a project’s physical assets through the forced mal-operation of components, impact its finances by disrupting generation, or create national, or regional, energy security risks in the event of a large-scale grid blackouts. The report makes the following cyber security recommendations for renewable energy technologies:
- Environment assessment: Renewable energy companies should carry out comprehensive assessments of their current cybersecurity posture.
- Asset update: Updated systems provide a last line of defence when other security measures fail so it is critical IT infrastructure is updated and staff are trained to recognise the threats.
- Access management: Access to sensitive systems and data needs to be properly managed.
- Predictive tools: New tools, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, can help maintain a strong security as cyberattacks and operating environments become more complex.