Tag Archive for: clean

Clean Power Push Set To Upend The Geopolitics Of Energy

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The global push for clean power generation and increased electrification in transportation is creating a new world order in energy where new winners and losers may emerge.

If the world moves toward predominantly renewable energy sources, the influence of a small number of oil-producing petrostates concentrated in a conflict-prone region is set to wane. At the same time, new power players will emerge, analysts say. These will be the countries holding reserves of the key energy transition minerals or hosting sites for the production of batteries, solar panels, and such with interconnectors for export and import of electricity.

In a world described by the International Energy Agency’s bombshell report from last week—in which it was explained that no new investment in oil and gas is needed, ever, if we are to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050—the energy warfare and the war for resources could shift from large-scale conflicts about oil to potential conflicts about electricity supply, including via cyber warfare. 

Cyberattacks On Electricity Grids Could Intensify

America just got a glimpse of what a cyberattack could do to its energy supply. Although no electricity grids were targeted in the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, the cyberattack on computer systems cut off supply of the main fossil-fuel product used in the United States as it stopped gasoline shipments to the Eastern Seaboard.

As the share of electricity in the global energy mix is set to grow exponentially in the coming decades, along with digitalization of operations and asset monitoring, the new threat to energy supply may not be a skirmish or a full-blown conflict near the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East. It could be state-sponsored cyberattacks on electricity grids, Amy Myers Jaffe, a research professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, argues in an article in The Wall Street Journal.

The higher the digitalization and the adoption of the Internet of Things and Industrial Internet of Things in electricity grids and supply, the more chances hackers—including such backed by governments—could get to target parts of the networks,…

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Clean up with foundational cyber hygiene | News

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“Critical Security Controls,” a phrase coined by the Center for Internet Security (CIS), is a high-tech, nerdy way of saying, “super-important things you really, really, really, really need to do.” They’re not kidding around, either; you really do need to do them.

The biggest hurdle to Internet safety and security is that people just don’t take the issue seriously. That is, they don’t take the issue seriously until they get in trouble, discover their online accounts have been hacked, their passwords stolen, their bank accounts drained and new cars charged to their credit line. Then, they become total tinfoil hat-wearing ultra-cautious security nuts. Until then, though, they usually have a devil-may-care, lah-de-dah, “it could never happen to me” attitude. The bad guys of the Internet are aware of this lackadaisical attitude; they count on it as a key to their success.

The Center for Internet Security (www.cisecurity.org) is “an internationally recognized nonprofit organization focused on raising the level of cybersecurity preparedness globally.” This highly-respected group caters mainly to large business enterprises and government agencies in an effort to develop standards and “best practices” that can make the Internet a safer place. That’s all well and good, but leaves most “normal” computer users out in the cold. This is an unfortunate situation, but I feel it is important to take the high-end cybersecurity principles set forth by groups like CIS and apply them to the rest of us out here in Internetland.

CIS lists 20 “critical security controls” that should be implemented before one can consider their computer systems to be protected. Some of the controls, such as “Limitation and Control of Network Ports, Protocols, and Services,” are designed for network administrators and I.T. professionals, and are beyond the ability of most mainstream users to figure out and enforce. Others, like “Malware defenses” and “Email and web browser protections” are completely doable by regular computer users.

CIS calls the first five…

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Newsletter: Consumers would be more forgiving of data breaches if companies just came clean – Los Angeles Times

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Newsletter: Consumers would be more forgiving of data breaches if companies just came clean  Los Angeles Times

A recent report from Experian found that 90% of consumers would be more likely to forgive privacy incidents if they’re notified in a timely fashion.

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Why don’t companies come clean after a data breach? – Silicon Valley Business Journal

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Why don’t companies come clean after a data breach?  Silicon Valley Business Journal

Many companies choose to delay disclosing a breach to the public, worried that they risk lawsuits and a damaged reputation. Instead, 4iQ CEO Monica Pal …

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