Epri Addresses Energy Security

Store Equipment & Design, June, 2000

With hacker incidents halting e-business on a number of high-profile Web sites, there is increasing concern that this kind of interference threatens the functioning of interdependent systems that support the global energy infrastructure. Because of this, EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) created a program focused on security issues as they affect the energy industry.

"Our immediate focus is on the vulnerabilities of the electronic systems that monitor and operate our business systems and provide critical communications within and outside the energy business," says Charlie Siebenthal, manager of EPRI's Enterprise Infrastructure Security (EIS) program.

"In the long term," Siebenthal adds, "the EIS program will shift its emphasis to the design and management of electronic security activities that will augment a company's existing physical security programs."

The EIS program will include workshops covering broad program issues, in-depth electronic security technical issues and legal issues.

"Initial topics to be addressed include security of existing operating systems and potential security issues related to operating systems now under development," Siebenthal says.