WebinarSecuring Operational Visibility & Digital Twins in Existing Hydropower Facilities to Optimize Asset Management & Cyber Physical Security
Mar 18, 2025 • Webex
We are pleased to announce that we have scheduled a webinar regarding “Securing Operational Visibility & Digital Twins in Existing Hydropower Facilities to Optimize Asset Management & Cyber Physical Security” on Tuesday, March 18th at 1pmET, presented by Christian Hager of Fend Tech. This webinar is part of our HOP-DS-IPS Cyber Security Workshop and will set the stage for our breakout groups discussions during the HOP Spring 2025 General Meeting & DS Spring 2025 General Meeting.About the Presentation:Of the 90,000+ of dams in the US, of which approximately 2,300 produce power, the average age is 60+ years.Reliance on hydropower & dams grows, however we are faced with a dam infrastructure that is rapidly aging. This calls for a modernization of Industrial Control Systems(ICS) that increasingly relies on remote connectivity to optimize operational visibility, efficiency, and reliability. Operators are turning to real-time digital twins/ historian solutions to utilize ICS data for predictive maintenance, advanced modeling, alert monitoring, etc. However, this modernization and digital convergence of the hydropower infrastructure can open up new threat vectors for cyberattacks and malware.Issues: In the face of such challenges, several traditional approaches will be discussed, but each has serious drawbacks: deploying and relying on porous, software-based defenses or intrusion-detection systems that only alert you AFTER the system has been breached.However, key operational mantras remain:Connect nothing directly to the internetSecure & harden the critical operational networkDo not trust a software-only solution or any files coming into the facilityUse secure side-channel communications instead of insecure two-way commsMaintain continuity of operationsSolutions: next-generation small-form factor data diodes, peripheral media kiosks, asset mapping and file scanning tools all offer a secure and lower cost-of-ownership alternative to technology currently in use by many hydroelectric and power operators.NREL’s Hydropower Cybersecurity Value-at-Risk Framework Feb 2023 assists with control identification and the CISA Dams Sector Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model v2 already calls out patching, upgrading, network segmentation, asset management and asset hardening as mitigation practices.Drawing from a recently conducted study by the presenter for the DOE’s EERE Water Power Technology Office (WPTO), attendees will learn from multiple case studies how power generation operations have increased real-time operational monitoring visibility and reduced cost-of-ownership without exposing the mission critical infrastructure to threat actors and internal vulnerabilities.The session will also impart the power of secure digital twins with real-time operational visibility from areas that were previously “air gapped” or too-remote-to-connect.Several case studies will highlight the ability of safely pulling operational data from secure facilities or networks with standard communication systems (e.g. with cellular or satellite/ Starlink networks).Presenter Contact Information:Christian Hager – chager@fend.tech