Università degli Studi di Padova

“230V/50Hz – Attacking the European power grid for fun and profit”

Lunedì 17 Febbraio 2020, ore 15:00 - Aula 2AB45 - Johanna Ullrich (SBA Research - Vienna)

Abstract

The synchronous grid of Continental Europe spans over 24 countries andprovides power to more than 400 million people, among them Italy and Austria. Its faultless operation is key for life in our technology-oriented society. Digitization however connects more and more devices drawing high amounts of electric power with the Internet: smartTVs, smart fridges, smart thermostats, and consequently becomes a threat for reliable power grid operation, even in absence of smart grid functionality. In this talk, we shed light on the following aspects of power grid security: power grid operation and emergency routines, the design of successful attacks and their consequences for the grid, Bitcoin and Ethereum causing blackouts, European clocks running late in 2018, security by obscurity in the energy sector and how open street data helps the researcher and adversary.