Cybersecurity - Conference topics

The FBI has issued a stark warning to the utility industry: critical infrastructure is now the top target for U.S. adversaries. Attacks, both cyber and physical, are becoming more frequent, threatening the reliability of grid operations, as well as sensitive customer information and asset performance.

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featured sessions

Remote updates for transmission substation devices with LG&E-KU

March 26 | 4:00-4:50 PM | C141

Louisville Gas & Electric – Kentucky Utilities (LG&E-KU) recognized the need to implement a single, centralized management solution with their growing fleet of IP-connected IEDs and use it to design a workflow that would ensure safe and secure remote updates for firmware, relay settings, and device passwords.

featured sessions

Reducing cyber risk to operational systems: Leveraging threat intelligence to level up your cybersecurity strategy

March 26 | 10:15-11:15 AM | D220

During this peer-to-peer discussion, we examine ways to reduce the exposure of vulnerable legacy systems and leverage threat intel to secure your environment.

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UU210: Cybersecurity for transmission and distribution systems — Part 1 Fundamentals

C2

240 mins
- Utility University
- Bulk Power
- Cybersecurity
This Utility University course is open to any attendee with an all-access or utility all-access badge. These courses are first come, first served onsite in Dallas, however, pre-registration is still r ...

Kelly Stich, Chief Cybersecurity Architect - SUBNET Solutions Inc.

Ian Bramson, Vice President - Global Industrial Cybersecurity - Black & Veatch

UU310: Cybersecurity for transmission and distribution systems – Part 2 Advanced

C2

240 mins
- Utility University
- Bulk Power
- Cybersecurity
- Detection and Prevention
This Utility University course is open to any attendee with an all-access or utility all-access badge. These courses are first come, first served onsite in Dallas, however, pre-registration is still ...

Moein Manbachi, Instructor - British Columbia Institute of Technology

Derek Burns, SOCC Systems Compliance Program Manager and Supervisor - Lower Colorado River Authority

Indrek Kunnapuu, CISO - Elektrilevi OU

Pierre Janse van Rensburg, Senior Consulting Expert, ICS Cybersecurity - BBA

Tales from the Crypt | A Hackers View of Electric Utility Vulnerabilities

Digitalizing the Grid Knowledge Hub- Booth #5558, Exhibit Floor

30 mins
- Cybersecurity
Attacks on operational technology (OT) — the systems controlling industrial equipment, processes, and events — have leaped from Hollywood screens into reality. What started as a cloak and dagger spy n ...

Aamir Lakhani, Senior Security Strategist - Fortinet
The role of the digital grid in Oncor’s system resiliency plan

C146

50 mins
- Policy and Regulation
- Reliability and Resilience
- Cybersecurity
- Data Centers
Join us for an in-depth discussion on Oncor's System Resiliency Plan (SRP) and its vital role in enhancing grid resilience. Filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas on May 6, 2024, this $3 bi ...

Troy Miller, Director of Sales, North America - GE Vernova

Christina Bankhead, Oncor Technology Director of Transmission & Distribution Capability - Oncor

Hilary Worrell, Technology Director of Networks ‚Äì responsible for Smart Grid Communications and Controls - Oncor

Kevin O'Neil, Managing Principal - Capco

Jonathan Gaddes, Jonathan Gaddes, Technology Director of Integrated Platforms - Oncor

Andrew Olson, Andrew Olson, Director of Technology Strategy and Architecture - Oncor

EPRI addresses cybersecurity challenges in 'DER gateways' with Exelon and Duquesne Light

C140

50 mins
- DERMS
- DER
- Cybersecurity
With rising DER levels, utilities across the U.S. are beginning to design communication and control systems that will be used to manage and monitor inverter-based resources. The architectures to manag ...

Ronald Farquharson, President and COO - Mount Victoria Consulting / DNP-UG

Abrez Mondal, Senior Technical Leader – DER Integration - Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Prasanth Gopalakrishnan, CEO - Kalkitech

Alex Rosenblatt, Sr. Operational Technology Engineer, Advanced Grid Solutions - Duquesne Light Company (DLC)

Andy Kang, Senior Manager, OT Cybersecurity - Exelon
Protecting vulnerable OT devices: Causes and consequences of running unpatched systems

C141

50 mins
- Cybersecurity
- Detection and Prevention
Recent cyberattacks have demonstrated increased risk to both IT and operational technology (OT) environments. While you are waiting to patch, cybercriminals are maximizing their opportunity by exploit ...

Chris Blauvelt, Director, Consulting Systems Engineering - Fortinet

Best practices for cybersecurity & safety in battery storage systems

C141

50 mins
- Reliability and Resilience
- Energy Storage
- Cybersecurity
Utilities are increasingly deploying energy storage to enhance the operational resilience and sustainability of the grid. Given the critical nature of grid operations, safety and cybersecurity are par ...

Emma Stewart, Chief Power Grid Scientist - Idaho National Laboratory

Vincent David, Vice President, Deployment & Operations - EVLO Energy
How Oncor developed an integrated system resiliency plan to mitigate resiliency events

C146

50 mins
- Storms and Wildfires
- Asset Management
- Cybersecurity
Oncor recently developed a three-year System Resiliency Plan (SRP) to harden and modernize the transmission and distribution system to improve overall resilience against resiliency events for customer ...

Po-Chen Chen, Manager of Data Science - Exelon Corporation

Robel Lulseged, Director, Engineering Standards & Maintenance Strategy - Oncor

Jason De Stigter, Director, Utility Investment Planning - 1898 and Co.
Strategies for internal network security monitoring at scale

C140

50 mins
- Cybersecurity
- Detection and Prevention
Advanced persistent threat actors’ techniques, tactics, and procedures have resulted in the need for additional operational technology (OT) network security. With the industry preparing for NERC CIP 0 ...

Seshadri Nadendla, Sr Solutions Architect - Duquesne Light Company

Konrad Schmitt, Associate Power Engineer - Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
Navigating cloud adoption and the regulatory landscape with NERC and AWS

C140

50 mins
- Reliability and Resilience
- Digital Transformation
- Cybersecurity
New Technologies: A look forward at security and compliance related to INSM, IBRs, DERs, and the role of cloud in achieving reliability objectives. This panel-style discussion will detail the current ...

Larry Collier, Electricity Sector OT Cybersecurity Specialist - NERC

Dan Goodlett, OT Cybersecurity Specialist - NERC

Maggy Powell, Principal Security Industry Specialist - AWS

Engineering best practices for quantifying cyber risks

C141

50 mins
- Cybersecurity
- Detection and Prevention
Cyber risks, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities are everywhere, but what do we need to fix first? This is a common refrain from asset owners and operators trying to prioritize limited mitigation resource ...

India James, Director Security Policy - Exelon

Sarah Freeman, Chief Engineer, Intel, Modeling and Simulation - MITRE

How AI fortifies Sempra's cybersecurity strategy

C140

50 mins
- Artificial Intelligence
- Cybersecurity
- Detection and Prevention
In the ever-evolving game of cat and mouse between utilities and cybercriminals, AI represents the latest weapon being harnessed by both parties. In this presentation by Sempra's manager of cybersecu ...

Sunil Katwala, Manager of Distribution Automation - PSEGLI

Mike Luka, Cybersecurity Engineering Manager - San Diego Gas & Electric

Adam Nathan, Utility Practice Director - World Wide Technology

Marc Spieler, Global Business Development Manager - Energy & Utilities - NVIDIA
PPL improved substation security and compliance without continuous patching

C141

50 mins
- Cybersecurity
Utilities operate fleets of substations with remote terminal units (RTUs) which may or may not be on a corporate internal IT network. Substations that are subject to NERC CIP requirements, but that ca ...

Eric Gupta, Principal Consultant - Black & Veatch

Don Vinciguerra, T&S Design Supervisor - PPL Electric Utilities

Chris Humphreys, CEO/Director - The Anfield Group

Austin Gadient, CTO & Co-Founder - Vali Cyber, Inc.

Reducing cyber risk to operational systems: Leveraging threat intelligence to level up your cybersecurity strategy

D220

60 mins
- Peer-to-Peer Exchange
- Cybersecurity
Peer-to-peer exchange is a discussion on a specific topic. Discussions provide attendees access to knowledge and expertise to help them address the critical challenges facing the industry today in a s ...

Richard Springer, Director, Operational Technology Product Marketing - Fortine

Best practices for small utilities to implement cyber-secure SCADA

C140

50 mins
- Cybersecurity
- SCADA
Homer Electric Association (HEA) is a member-owned generation and distribution utility in the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. In addition to the transmission and distribution network, HEA operates a genera ...

Eric Gupta, Principal Consultant - Black & Veatch

Nicholas Huff, Operational Technology Manager - Homer Electric Association

Parag Parikh, ADMS Solution Executive - Hitachi Energy

Mitigating cybersecurity risk in utility supply chains

C140

50 mins
- Cybersecurity
One of the most overlooked areas when considering the cybersecurity posture of grid entities is the impact of their supply chains. In today’s smart grid environment, myriad third-party solutions are r ...

India James, Director Security Policy - Exelon

Jim Schultz, Senior OT Cybersecurity Consultant - Black & Veatch
Utility lessons learned from converging IT and OT security strategies

C141

50 mins
- Cybersecurity
- Detection and Prevention
This discussion features three utility leaders who have converged key areas of their IT/OT security efforts, with a focus on the challenges, strategies, and lessons learned from adopting cybersecurity ...

Seshadri Nadendla, Sr Solutions Architect - Duquesne Light Company

Russell Richardson, VP & Chief Security Officer - Calpine Corporation

Jason Shea, Lead, OT Cybersecurity Program - Southern California Edison

Victor Calderon, Deputy Lead, OT Cybersecurity Program - Southern California Edison

Basin Electric modernized its grid. Here's how the G&T tackled new cyber threats

C141

50 mins
- Bulk Power
- Cybersecurity
As the reliance on our energy infrastructure grows, some supporting assets are rapidly aging, necessitating technological (ICS/SCADA) modernization that increasingly relies on connectivity to increase ...

Emma Stewart, Chief Power Grid Scientist - Idaho National Laboratory

TBC TBC, Engineer/Generation - Basin Electric Power Cooperative

Remote updates for transmission substation devices with LG&E-KU

C141

50 mins
- Bulk Power
- Cybersecurity
Utilities have been deploying large numbers of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) to implement advanced automation systems. However, they are discovering the high cost of maintaining these devices. ...

Ronald Farquharson, President and COO - Mount Victoria Consulting / DNP-UG

Syd Ulis III, electrical engineering supervisor - Louisville Gas & Electric ‚Äì Kentucky Utilities (LG&E-KU)

Patrick Cossette, Product Manager, IED Manager Suite - EATON
Creating a digital strategy to enable the energy transformation at Salt River Project

C155

50 mins
- Workforce
- Digital Transformation
- Cybersecurity
Salt River Project (SRP), an electric utility in Phoenix, Arizona created an OT strategy and governance program in coordination with SRP’s OT groups, the IT organization, and cybersecurity. This effor ...

Tim Epp, Program Director, AMI - Snohomish PUD

Chris Campbell, Senior Director Distribution and Tech Ops - Salt River Project

Jacque Keenan, Director IT Business Engagement Services - Salt River Project (SRP)

Tait Willis, Director OT Applications - Salt River Project (SRP)

Sean Whittier, OT Transformation Project Co-Lead - Salt River Project (SRP)

Jake Smith, OT Transformation Project Co-Lead - Salt River Project (SRP)
Strategies in mitigating GPS cybersecurity risks and enhancing resiliency

C140

50 mins
- Cybersecurity
- Communication Networks
There is a growing number of power grid devices that receive time syncronization from GPS. However, the problem is that GPS is an identified cybersecurity risk— it can be easily jammed or spoofed, com ...

Sunil Katwala, Manager of Distribution Automation - PSEGLI

Francisco Girela, Sales Engineering Lead - Safran - Navigation and Timing

David Sohn, Engineering Manager - Safran