GE Global Research has secured $12.6m funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the development of cyber-protection technologies that detect, locate and neutralize attacks on critical power systems and assets.
Image: GE secures funding from DOE to develop cybersecurity programs to protect power assets. Photo: Courtesy of GE.
GE Global Research stated that the cybersecurity technologies will act much like the human body’s immune system which can automatically detects and fights viruses.
As per the company, its research team has made substantial progress on an existing DOE cybersecurity program, where they are developing advanced cyber protection technologies to protect electric power plants from cyber threats.
GE Global Research has secured three new project awards, which can further help in the development of advanced cyber technology solutions while expanding the application of these protections to wind power installations and natural gas systems.
For the first project, GE has secured $4.8m for Cyber-Physical Resilience for Wind Power Generation. This project will develop cyber protection technologies for wind power systems that are effective against attacks on the control systems of wind turbines.
The second project is $3.9m Cyber Physical Protection for Natural Gas Compression. Under this project, new cyber-physical security algorithms will be developed to form a new layer of protection beyond traditional IT and OT firewalls.
The third project is the $3.9m Time-Sensitive Quantum Key Distribution project, under which a cybersecurity program will be developed for quantum computing. The project will focus on the development of new, quantum cybersecurity protections that stay ahead of attackers in the age of quantum computing to safeguard critical systems.
GE Global Research controls and optimization technology director Justin John said: “We’re committed to building the world’s first industrial immune system that detects, locates and neutralizes cyber threats just like the human immune system does with viruses that invade the body. GE is doing this by combining the deep system insights of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins with industrial controls.
“GE’s digital twins, or digital models of physical assets and systems, allows cyber threats to be detected and located. Industrial controls are the brain that automatically acts on the digital twin insights to neutralize a given threat.”