Fortress Information Security has launched the Asset to Vendor Network for Power Utilities (A2V), a joint venture with American Electric Power. A2V is designed to address concerns about protecting the U.S. power grid from cyber threats by promoting collaboration among electric companies. A2V will help reduce the costs associated with cybersecurity regulatory compliance in an effort to cope with budgetary limitations.
Power utilities share many of the same supply chain vendors for equipment, software and services for their Bulk Electric Systems (BES), an industry trait that has been identified by malicious actors and is resulting in an increasing number of attacks on the power grid.
To address emerging supply chain risks to the power grid, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued new rules that require utilities to develop a plan for managing cyber risk related to their supply chain. The plan includes procedures for prioritizing vendors based on risk and requirements for completing standardized risk assessments on each vendor, as well as verifying the authenticity of software manufacturers and the integrity of software updates.
The deadline for completion of…
