Survey: 41% of Energy Security Pros Say Smart Meter Infrastructure is Vulnerable to Cyber Attack

nCircle, the leader in information risk and security performance management, today announced the results of a survey of 104 security professionals in the energy and utility industry. The survey was sponsored by nCircle and EnergySec, a DOE-funded public-private partnership that works to enhance the cyber security of the electric infrastructure. The online survey was conducted between March 12 and March 31, 2012.

When asked, “What part of the smart grid infrastructure is most vulnerable to cyber attack?” 29% said “smart meters”, 41% said “metering infrastructure including transport”, 20% said “utility energy management systems” and 10% said “energy management, such as phasor measurement units”.

According to Patrick Miller, CEO of EnergySec, "The enormous range of technology in the smart grid presents many points of potential vulnerability, and we are moving at the speed of light to insert even more technology ‘shims’ into the existing network structures of the smart grid. This ever-increasing rate of complexity and hyper-embedded technology will be very difficult to secure."

“The complexity of SCADA technology combined with the range of results from survey respondents on this issue indicates that we don’t have any single section of the smart grid fully secured,” said Elizabeth Ireland, vice president of marketing for nCircle. “It’s not surprising that energy industry security professionals deem metering infrastructure as the highest area of risk. Individual partners in any complex supply chain often have very limited visibility into the security for the entire process.”

More information on the nCircle EnergySec Smart Grid survey is available here: www.ncircle.com/index.php?s=resources_surveys_Survey-SmartGrid-2012#cyberattack.

About nCircle

nCircle is the leading provider of information risk and security performance management solutions to more than 6,500 businesses and government agencies worldwide. nCircle solutions enable enterprises of all sizes to (1) automate compliance and reduce risk, and (2) measure and compare the performance of their IT security program with their own goals and industry peers. nCircle solutions may be deployed on a customer’s premises, as a cloud-based service, or in combination, for maximum flexibility and value.

nCircle has won numerous awards for growth, innovation, customer satisfaction and technology leadership and has been ranked among the top 100 best places to work in the San Francisco Bay Area. nCircle is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with regional offices throughout the United States and in London and Toronto. To learn how you can more effectively protect your company visit us at http://www.ncircle.com.

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