Energy

Verizon: Internet of Things Hacks Pose Little Risk – For Now

In-brief: Verizon said in its latest Data Breach Investigations Report that threats from Internet of Things technologies were more theory than practice in 2014, but that 2015 could see IoT devices play a role in breaches.

APT

DHS: APT behind Half of Cyber Incidents In Critical Infrastructure

In-brief:  A new report from the Department of Homeland Security reveals that there were 245 reported incidents of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure in 2014. More than half were attributed to sophisticated “APT” type actors. 

Opinion: Fortifying the Internet of Things | CSM Passcode

In-brief: Three noted academics and experts on homeland security argue for changes in the way that Internet of Things devices are deployed, and more research on the risks such devices pose to companies and individuals. 

an image of a metal tower of Power Lines

New Firm Sniffs Power Consumption to detect Malware

  In-brief: A new company, PFP Cybersecurity, says it can detect malware infections almost instantly by analyzing changes in the way infected devices consume power. The company is targeting industrial control system and critical infrastructure with new products. 

In Cyberwar, US Grid is a Prime Target | CSMonitor.com

The Christian Science Monitor is running a story I wrote this week on the security of the electric grid. In the piece, I take a look at whether the electric industry is soft-pedaling cyber risk. From the piece: “For all the huffing and puffing in Washington D.C. policy circles about the hack of Sony Pictures being an act of “cyber war,” for security experts who have been working within the power sector, however, the dire warnings are not news. They would not have been news last year, or the year before. In fact, (NSA Chief Mike) Rogers’ dim assessment of the US power sector’s readiness to face and withstand a cyberattack has been shared and articulated within the power industry for seven years. “Why is it that the US power grid in 2014 is not better prepared to keep nation-state hackers at bay, or to withstand a critical cyberattack? Some of the […]