NIST Releases Smart Grid Cyber Security Guidelines

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a three-volume guide for smart grid cyber security, reports InformationWeek.

The guidelines couldn't come soon enough. In July, Siemens warned of a new and highly sophisticated virus that goes after computers used to manage large-scale industrial control systems used by manufacturing and utility companies.

NIST says the report, which details 189 security requirements, is just the first step in building a secure smart grid. Says George Arnold, NIST's national coordinator for smart grid interoperability:

These guidelines are a starting point for the sustained national effort that will be required to build a safe, secure and reliable Smart Grid ... They provide a technical foundation for utilities, hardware and software manufacturers, energy management service providers, and others to build upon.