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NETWORK / 18 / DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 I t was almost like the beginning of a James Bond lm. Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, stood up and delivered a stark warning about the escalating threat posed by hackers. "Russian interference, seen by the National Cyber Security Centre, has included attacks on the UK media, telecommunications and energy sectors," he told delegates at The Times Tech Summit in November. "That is clearly a cause for concern – Russia is seeking to undermine the international system. The prime minister made the point on Monday night – that international order as we know it is in danger of being eroded." Russia has repeatedly denied state hacking claims but whoever is behind various attacks, the threat appears real. Martin urged UK companies to ensure they had security measures in place. A decent idea of what can happen to power supplies in the event of a cyber attack was given when parts of the Ukraine were hit by power cuts at the end of 2015 and 2016. Researchers in the country are said to have blamed the blackouts on criminal groups, 1 while president Petro Poroshenko has reportedly warned of a 'cyberwar' 2 against the Ukraine. Robert Pritchard, founder of consultancy The Cyber Security Expert, says power rms have a number of threats to be concerned about. "Most of these will not be targeted, or at least not targeted at disrupting power, but can still cause issues, as the recent NotPetya ransomware worm has shown," he says. While there is some debate whether the NotPetya attack was designed to make money or to disrupt business, there is little doubt it caused problems for many companies around the world earlier this year. 3 Changing face of the network A key factor in the increased cyber risk to UK power distribution rms is the changing nature of the network itself. Development of the so-called smart grid, where sophisticated control systems are used to manage an ever-more complex supply and demand balance, means the amount of industry data in existence is growing rapidly. The grid of the future, with its local sustainable sources, and new end markets such as electric vehicles, will require more systems to manage data than the more simplistic plant-to-home network of the past. It is these systems that could potentially be targeted by hackers. It is not a risk that has passed the industry by. Some serious work is taking place behind closed doors to try to make sure cyber security evolves as quickly as the network itself. "The UK's gas and electricity networks are respected the world over for their performance and resilience, which includes providing cyber-security for what is a piece of critical national infrastructure," says Energy Networks Association (ENA) head of public a— airs Ed Gill. "Network companies regularly review their cyber-security policies to ensure the right measures are in place to counter any potential threat, both now and in the future." Collaboration is seen as a critical weapon in defending the networks, and the government is helping bring the industry together to ght this battle. "Through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's Energy CYBER SECURIT Y Keeping networks safe The changing face of networks could allow hackers more opportunities to target the UK's major power companies. Greg Pitcher explores the issues.