DOE Funded Project Taps Sygnia to Develop Tools and Technologies to Mitigate Threat to Energy Infrastructure

Sygnia, the foremost global cyber readiness and response team, today announced its participation in a consortium led by EPRI to improve cybersecurity of the U.S. energy sector. EPRI recently secured $22.2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for five security projects all designed to increase the cyber-readiness of the U.S. power grid, part of a larger DOE initiative consisting of $45 million in funding for 16 projects across six states to protect the nation’s energy sector. Sygnia is participating alongside NVIDIA, Waterfall Security Solutions, Clemson University, and three leading U.S.-based electric utilities – Ameren, Consolidated Edison Company, and Southern Company in a project to research and develop advanced artificial intelligence and data processing capabilities to detect and respond to cyber security incidents in control system networks at the edge.

Securing industrial control environments, also known as OT (Operational Technology) Security, has typically relied on network segregation as its primary form of defense. This generally results in a complete separation of IT and OT networks, commonly known as “air gapping.” While still important, this approach cannot be adopted as a waterproof measure anymore, with the advent of digital transformation and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT); in addition, it hampers data collection, detection, prevention, and response to OT-specific threats. There is thus a need for innovative, hardware-based solutions that allow for proper data collection and analysis at the edge, and out-of-band communication over a trusted network to facilitate AI-driven monitoring and comprehensive visibility into the OT network.

“Safeguarding the energy sector is a critical priority for both EPRI and the DOE, and it is a mission that Sygnia takes very seriously,” said Ram Elboim, CEO of Sygnia. “The energy sector and critical infrastructure, in general, are becoming targets for threat actors. The high stakes, the fact that disruption of service might bring significant harm, and the complexity of the environment require specific attention and a robust solution. Private-public partnerships of this nature are critical for improving the cyber resilience of the industry, and innovation is necessary for establishing defensive strategies that actually work. We are pleased EPRI selected Sygnia for this project and proud to participate alongside so many outstanding organizations.”

“As power companies become increasingly blended across information technology, operational technology, and telecommunications infrastructure, cyber security is a critical priority to keep energy infrastructure safe and secure,” said EPRI Technical Executive of Digitalization Jason Hollern. “EPRI looks forward to working with these project collaborators to help advance cutting-edge technologies and solutions to reduce cyber risks for energy systems.”

Sygnia will discuss its vision for OT security at the NVIDIA GTC Conference, which is being held at the San Jose Convention Center from March 18-21, 2024. Sygnia is hosting the “Harnessing AI to Transform Cybersecurity Detection and Response in OT Environments” panel in person on Tuesday, March 19, at 6:00 p.m. EDT and virtually on Thursday, March 21, at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

For more information about Sygnia visit: https://www.sygnia.co.

About Sygnia

Sygnia is the foremost global cyber readiness and response team, applying creative approaches and battle-tested solutions to help organizations beat attackers and stay secure. With a team of deep digital combat and enterprise security specialists, Sygnia enables companies to proactively build cyber resilience and defeat attacks within their networks. Sygnia supports clients at each stage of their security journey, bringing frontline experience and technological acumen to help them be unstoppable in the face of cyber threats.

Sygnia is a trusted advisor and service provider of technology and security teams, executives and boards of leading organizations worldwide, including Fortune 100 companies. Sygnia is a Temasek company and part of the ISTARI Collective. Learn more at Sygnia.co.

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