The Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) has announced $15 million in funding to establish six university-based electric power cybersecurity centers that will foster collaboration across the energy sector to address gaps in energy security research and provide cybersecurity education programs.
“This investment in university-based cybersecurity centers will enable us to simultaneously grow the U.S. cyber workforce and build the expertise we need to take on the evolving cyber threats to our nation’s energy systems,” said CESER Director Puesh Kumar. “The U.S. competitive advantage has always depended on cutting-edge research and a high-skilled workforce. Through these projects, we are advancing our economic and national security.”
Each university will partner with energy sector owners and operators, vendors, and DoE National Laboratories to conduct innovative cybersecurity research and develop cybersecurity trainings that will meet the needs of the energy workforce in their regions, the department said.
The industry partnerships will help the university-based cybersecurity centers research security capabilities that consider the distinctive characteristics of each region’s electricity system, network of infrastructure, and workforce skills.
Their research will combine multidisciplinary expertise – such as power system engineering and cybersecurity – to find solutions that will reduce the risk of power disruption resulting from a cyber incident in an energy delivery system.
Using the new funding, the University of Connecticut will develop tools to isolate and mitigate the effects of cyberattacks on distributed energy resources to quickly restore devices to operational states.
The Iowa State University will focus on improving the security and resilience of the distribution grid that includes distributed energy resources and microgrids, including real-time cyber situational awareness for distribution management systems.
The University of Pittsburgh will use digital twins to evaluate the effectiveness of protections for cyberattacks and assess the impact of cybersecurity compromises.
The Illinois Institute of Technology will address cybersecurity issues in distributed energy resources and microgrids and understand how system operators can contribute to efficient cyberattack detection and response.
The Texas Tech University will develop a single framework that addresses the various stages of cyber physical attacks such as attack detection, prevention, impact analysis, and recovery plans.
The Florida International University will explore the moving target defense technique as a way to prevent cyberattacks by “hiding” the system from the adversary.
In addition to the six research projects, the centers will also host a collection of cybersecurity education programs to equip energy professionals with the knowledge to safeguard the energy sector’s critical infrastructure from cybersecurity threats.
This week’s announcement builds on past funding opportunities DoE’s CESER has announced for a more secure and resilient energy sector.
