Energy
Germany issues cybersecurity guidelines for renewable energy plants
Germany's Federal Office for Information Security has advised operators of photovoltaic installations and other small renewable facilities to remove direct internet access from their control systems.
Key points
- The BSI recommends eliminating direct internet access for small renewable and hydropower plants.
- Proposed security measures include virtual private networks and multifactor authentication.
- Operators are urged to maintain asset inventories and install software updates promptly.
What happened
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has released new cybersecurity guidance aimed at protecting industrial control systems within small and very small renewable energy installations, according to pv magazine. The recommendations apply to wind farms, hydropower plants, waste-to-energy facilities, and photovoltaic installations of all sizes.
The agency advises plant operators to remove direct internet connections from operational technology equipment, including inverters, monitoring gateways, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems. According to the BSI, public network exposure increases vulnerability to unauthorized access and potential manipulation of operating parameters.
Why it matters
Directly connecting renewable energy infrastructure to public networks creates risks that extend beyond data loss, potentially disrupting plant operations and control systems. To mitigate these threats, the BSI suggests replacing direct access with secure remote connections using virtual private networks and multifactor authentication.
Additional recommendations include conducting periodic asset checks, maintaining inventories of connected devices, separating corporate and operational networks, and promptly applying security patches and software updates across all connected field devices and supervisory systems.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
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Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
