With cybersecurity so much in the news, I found myself in a heated discussion the other day about whether IT should take over SCADA, and in particular SCADA security, or whether it should not. SCADA
(System Control And Data Acquisition) refers to the technologies that run large
processes. In common use, it refers primarily to the large distribution systems,
such as those for electricity, water, and gas. SCADA systems were usually
designed to operate with the extreme resource constraints of last generation
technology. SCADA systems have traditionally been secured primarily through
isolation. Any signal that breached the outer shell was considered trusted.
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Cyborg Beetles, Cyber-security, Smart Buildings, and the Smart Grid
Cyber beetles provide an interesting glimpse into agent based interactions. Smart grids and smart buildings are integrated today using deep, integration, and complete control of the underlying processes. As more and more nodes are added to any system, the overhead of maintaining all interactions at a central point becomes more significant. In grid-scale systems, system designers have managed complexity by limiting diversity; a system may be managing ten thousand substations, but at least they are identical systems. A current DARPA project dramatically demonstrates a better approach....
Smartgrid Basics: The Demand Side Problem
Last week the Smartgrid-discuss group opened up within OASIS, introducing power grid technologies to the architects of e-commerce and internet security standards. Some of the latter are trying to understand the problem, and learn the jargon. I wrote this as the second of a series of posts introduce the issues in a simplified, almost cartoon form.
Building systems have traditionally been invisible and uncontrollable. They have been managed to reduce costs with no real focus on the service they are providing. They have grown up in sandboxes, using their own peculiar protocols. These protocols are deep and technology specific, and often without effective interface. These systems are operated, when they are operated by process specialists.
Building occupants rarely have a precise understanding of how these systems affect their business. They may know exactly what...
Smartgrid Basics: The Supply Side Problem
Last week the Smartgrid-discuss group opened up within OASIS, introducing power grid technologies to the architects of e-commerce and internet security standards. Some of the latter are trying to understand the problem, and learn the jargon. I wrote this as one of a series of posts introduce the issues in a simplified, almost cartoon form.
The North American power grid is the world’s largest robot. It was imagined in the 30’s, designed in the 50’s and has been built out and patched ever since. Some very bright people have done extraordinary things to retrofit the system with digital descendants of the original analog controls. It is very much less stable...