NEPRA hosts webinar on CERTs

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) hosted a webinar on role of computer emergency response teams (CERTs) on Saturday, aimed at creating awareness among the power sector entities on establishment of a CERT.

NEPRA chairman Tauseef H.Farooqi said CERTs could be their first line of defense against cyber attacks that could compromise their multi-billion dollar assets, he added.

He elaborated that establishment of an effective CERT should be a key goal for every power sector entity after 4th industrial revolution, wherein power systems were transformed from physical to cyber physical system with introduction of smart grids , AMIs, and distributed generations.

Former additional DG FIA Ammar Hussain Jafri briefed the participants about the roles and responsibilities of a CERT in the power sector. He also briefed about layers of such CERTs, including layers at national level, sectoral level, and organisational level.

Certified information security managers Abdul Waheed and Rahim Ali briefed the participants about different types of cyber incidents, objectives, and technical requirements of CERTs. They shed light on importance of cyber leadership and what business model should be taken in consideration when CERTs are established in an organisation.

The webinar was attended by a large number of power sector professionals, trade and business representatives, and NEPRA professionals.