LiveData is a leading innovator of real-time integration and data visualization technology. The company’s software interoperates with applications that monitor and control utility operations (SCADA, DCS, EMS, OMS) and flows data to and between them, using all major open and/or proprietary protocols.

Under a cooperative research and development agreement with Idaho National Laboratory, LiveData’s ICCP Protocol Server was evaluated in order to help identify and remedy any security vulnerabilities before they could be potentially exploited. The project identified one vulnerability, which was remedied and patched in the field without any adverse impact on existing installations.

ICCP (Inter-Control Center Communications Protocol) is a standard protocol used to exchange data among utilities, regional transmission operators, and power generators that make up the U.S.’s critical electric infrastructure. The interconnections that these links provide could provide a cyber attacker targets for a coordinated attack on the electric grid.

“The potential of cyber attacks is a business risk to our customers as well as a risk to the grid’s stability,” said Jeff Robbins, LiveData CEO. “We welcomed the opportunity to participate in INL’s assessment program as part of our commitment to maintaining the security of our products.”

Customers worldwide rely upon LiveData to deliver real-time data for a wide range of mission-critical applications in the electric power industry. For example, several utilities use LiveData to deliver real-time operational data to power trading and marketing applications, interfacing through Tibco message-oriented middleware. Others use LiveData RTI Server to integrate best of breed applications, including RCCS centralized capacitor control software. Yet others use LiveData to capture and deliver real-time data to meter estimation and validation systems, delivering load information to energy traders, and presenting operational data to senior managers anywhere through an executive web portal.

The Department of Energy’s National SCADA Test Bed (NSTB) performed a cyber security assessment on the ICCP protocol. Prior to the test and identification, a specifically crafted network packet targeting LiveData Server’s network interface could theoretically have crashed a server. To LiveData’s knowledge, no customer has ever experienced such an attack, nor a disruption due to any vulnerability. Nevertheless, LiveData understands the need for customer confidence and therefore is subjecting its software to intensive scrutiny.

To ensure the secure, reliable and efficient distribution of power, the Department of Energy established the National Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Test Bed program at Idaho National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory. The program works to support industry and government efforts to enhance the cyber security of control systems used throughout the electricity, oil, and gas industries.

Working in partnership with the energy sector, the test bed program assesses selected control systems and control system components to identify cyber vulnerabilities. Testing is conducted in collaboration with interested industry participants such as LiveData. Further information is available from info@livedata.com, and online at www.livedata.com.

About LiveData

LiveData, Inc. is the leading innovator of real-time integration and data visualization technology. LiveData solutions continuously monitor, synthesize and respond to highly complex, multi-faceted processes in real time, spanning a broad mix of distributed devices, diverse vendors’ systems, protocols and databases. Founded in 1991, LiveData serves customers in healthcare, electric power and utilities, and manufacturing industries, as well as state and local governments. For more information, visit www.livedata.com.