SEGRID: SEcurity for smart electricity GRIDs

The introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into power grids allows for monitoring, controlling the demand, and managing the supply of electricity. This concept is referred to as Smart Grid and is expected to grow exponentially. At the same time ICT systems are increasingly subject to cyber-attacks, which can have a disruptive impact on the power grid, and risk business interests and people's safety.

The research project SEGRID was devoted to enhancing the protection of Smart Grids against cyber-attacks. With a budget of 4.5 million Euro over three years, the project brought together Europe's leading companies and research institutes in the areas of energy distribution, power supply and critical infrastructures, communication, and system security.

With reference to five smart grid use cases, SEGRID applied a risk management analysis approach, defined security requirements, and determined gaps in current security technologies, standards, and regulations. The identified gaps, together with an analysis of them, provided input to the enhancement of risk assessment methodologies and the development of novel security solutions for smart grids.

A selection of the goals of this project were to:

• Identify threats and potential pathways for future cyber-attacks
• Identify the gap between currently available security standards, methods, and measures
• Evaluate and improve current risk management methodologies to optimally address the key risk factors
• Develop new security methods and measures for privacy, communication, and system security in smart grids
• Build up a realistic Security Integration Test Environment (SITE) to test and verify new security methods and solutions
• Feed the established results into European and global standardization bodies, industry groups and smart grid suppliers, and assuring that results fit the needs of such communities and raise awareness among stakeholders

Detailed results from this project, including whitepapers, deliverables and publications, can be found at the project website (https://segrid.eu/).