The growing cyber-risk to our electricity grids - and what to do about it

Apr 30, 2019

Computer science professor Christa Lopes holds an appliance communication module attached to the refrigerator in her home in Irvine, California January 26, 2015. Lopes said the Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration, a $79 million project funded half by federal stimulus money and half by Edison and partners like UC Irvine, cut her electric bill to zero in the summer. The $12 billion utility's research team Southern California Edison is testing everything from charging electronic vehicles via cell phone to devices that smooth out the power created by rooftop solar panels. Those are some of the roughly 60 projects in the works at Edison's Advanced Technology division. It has a small $19 million annual budget, but its influence far exceeds that. Picture taken January 26, 2015.

Smart grid technology can revolutionise the energy sector - but it is under growing threat from cybercriminals Image: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Karime Kuri Tiscareno

Project Lead, IoT, Robotics and Smart Cities, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum

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The nature of smart grids leverages the severity of the cyberthreats to them. Image: WEF

As grids become smarter, the risks posed by cyberattacks begin to stack up. Image: WEF

Collective action is required to build resilient grids fit for the future. Image: WEF

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