25 April 2012: The International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement for a Co-operative Programme on Smart Grids (ISGAN) has published a white paper titled “Smart Grid Cyber Security,” highlighting key challenges of cyber security policy development and proposing frameworks for protecting consumer data privacy.

The paper begins with the premise that the distribution of millions of smart meters and other distributed smart grid infrastructure has significantly enhanced data security risks recently, and that significant gaps remain in cyber security policy. It indicates that comprehensive implementation of cyber security is difficult for two main reasons: the business case for the high costs of its implementation is complex due to uncertainties about threat levels, total costs and who is responsible for such costs; and the organizational aspects of cyber security are extremely complex and challenging.

The paper then highlight how the key aspects of cyber security, namely confidentiality, availability, integrity, authentication and non-repudiation, are applicable to smart grid systems. It outlines frameworks for protecting consumer data privacy including “Fair Information Practice” principles and data privacy as human right.

The paper recommends that ISGAN should prioritize efforts to advance regulatory and industry best practices in cyber security economics in the smart grid context, and that it should also establish a forum to share best practices in cultivating organizational change and cost-effective technical innovations in support of cyber security in the smart grid context. [Publication: Smart Grid Cyber Security]