Default Passwords May Cause Some Issues - Change Them As Soon As Possible

 A friend of mine reported the following in a SCADA and cyber-security related group:

"The recent cyber-attack on that small water facility outside of Pittsburg is getting increased attention (certainly on this list) . The model and manufacturer of the device in question are known.  The manufacturer's web site has some  documentation on the device, but I do not think they provide the  device's default password.

No need to look hard, it is listed in plain site on CISA's bulletin (below)."

Exploitation of Unitronics PLCs used in Water and Wastewater Systems Release Date November 28, 2023 

Oops.

Up-to-Date IEC 61850 Trial Tools Available From InfoTech (Poland)

Have you ever tried to send or receive messages according to IEC 61850 or IEC 61400-25: Operate, Report, Get, ... GOOSE, Sampled Values, ... try the following updated trial tools ... from InfoTech (Poland) 

Use of Sampled Value Publisher (Sender) according to IEC 61850-9-2LE:

Window for various parameter that can be modified and applied:

Wireshark trace of a SV message:

Access several presentations and the link for the trial versions:

Client/Server, GOOSE Sender & Receiver, SV Sender & Receiver

visualization on a flow diagram and on-line monitoring of GOOSE based on SCD file as input

Simulator of a network of server IEDs based on SCL files (ICD/CID/IID/SCD)  +  creator/editor of ICD

Overview of the Library which we license as source code or as derived binary DLLs for PC/MS Windows

This is the link to the trial version of all tools

Enjoy.

Bundesnetzagentur fordert Steuerbarkeit von Wärmepumpen und E-Mobilen ab Januar 2024

Die Bundesnetzagentur hat heute mitgeteilt, wie ab dem 1. Januar 2024 steuerbare Verbrauchseinrichtungen (z.B. Wärmepumpen und Ladeeinrichtungen für E-Mobile) sicher und zügig in das Stromnetz integriert werden können.

"Die Bundesnetzagentur bittet die Netzbetreiber, gemeinsam mit anderen relevanten Markteilnehmern Empfehlungen für die Standardisierung und massengeschäftstaugliche Umsetzung der netzorientierten Steuerung auszuarbeiten. Das ist ein Beitrag zur effizienten Umsetzung der notwendigen Prozesse, aber keine Voraussetzung für deren Start."

Click hier, um zur Pressemitteilung der Bundesnetzagentur vom 27.11.2023 zu gelangen.

Die Bitte der Bundesnetzagentur wurde bereits vor etwa 10 Jahren von den Netzbetreibern und Herstellern von Steuerungssystemen im Voraus "gehört". Das Ergebnis der Lösung (FNN-Steuerbox mit IEC 61850 als Anwendungsschnittstelle) ist bereits heute verfügbar (siehe Lösung von Vivavis in Ettlingen).

IEC 61850 (MMS) Messages Traced with Wireshark, Local Host, and Loopback

Have you tried to trace some IEC 61850 (MMS) messages with Wireshark? 

Usually you expect to run Client and Server on different machines to have communication going through an Ethernet Network! Yes! No!

You could easily run the two on one PC and trace the traffic using Wireshark and select the TCP loopback adapter as the interface for Wireshark to look at !!! It is simple.

The address for the server is:

The Client and Server using the IEDScout 5.2 from Omicron:

Trace:

Some Impressions From The MATPOST Conference 2023 in Lyon (France)

Andrea Bonetti has posted some impression from the "Digital Twin" world demonstrated at the conference.

Click HERE for the brief report.

What is the difference of a digital device and its twin? In the IEC 61850 domain, a IED (Intelligent Electronic Device) hosts a virtual IED (the models, services, bridges to the applications, ... applications). The host may be a protection device or any other computer platform that can run the software. Why do we talk about twins? We could have triplets or even quadruplets of the same virtual device ... when we run the software on three or four or more platforms.

A digital twin is a digital twin of a digital twin ... the crucial term here is: Virtual Device - this is what an IED in IEC 61850 is!

An IED in the IEC 61850 world could be:

1. A configuration of an IED section in an SCL document
2. An IED section of an SCL document hosted, e.g., in a relay or any other controller
3. A physical relay installed in a cabinet

Note that this virtualization was applied in MMS (Manufacturing Message Specification, ISO 9506) and used in IEC 61850-8-1. In MMS the virtual IED was named VMD - Virtual Manufacturing Device ... some 40 years ago ... hahaha ...

The following may help you to understand what virtual means:

If it's there and you can see it      It's REAL
If it's there and you can't see it    It's TRANSPARENT
If it's not there and you can see it      It's VIRTUAL
If it's not there and you can't see it      It's GONE

Roy Wills

Any question?

International Conference on Substation Equipment in Lyon (F); 22.-24. Nov 2023

Please note that the 7th European Conference on Substation Equipment (Matpost 2023) with the focus on 

Major infrastructure projects for a carbon-free world and their impact on Substation equipment 

will welcome you in Lyon (France) next week: 22.-24. November 2023.

Click HERE for the program.

There is also a paper presentation on IEC 61850 ... check the program.

IEC 61850 Conformance Certification of IEC 61850 Core Documents with Ed2.0 About to End

Richard Schimmel (IEC 61850 Certification Manager at DNV ( former KEMA)) just reported a very crucial information at LinkedIn:

"IEC 61850 certification for Edition 2 will be phased out by the UCAiug. From January 2024 UCAiug will only allow new Edition 2 certificates after passing the Edition 2 with Amendment 1 (Ed2.1)!

If you want to certify IEC 61850 Edition 2, we (DNV) need to show the UCAiug that we received the purchase order before 1st January 2024."

Click HERE for the post a LinkedIn.

Be aware that Edition 2.1 refers just to the yellow marked core parts of IEC 61850 (see IEC 61850 Tissue Database):

 

Note that EACH part has its own Edition numbering ... there is no IEC 61850 Edition x at all!

The Tissue Database provides the tissues posted, discussed, and solved of the previous editions for each part. This gives you the possibility to see which comments let to a new edition. Comments to Edition 2.1 of the core parts will finally lead to Edition 3.0 of these parts ... Edition 2.1 of the core parts will be valid for the next years ... this is my personal expectation.