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European report reveals catastrophic electricity network security

admin
November 6th, 2014


This article is more than 10 years old.

Expert concerned as Energinet.dk comes third from bottom

According to a report by the European energy suppliers’ organisation ENTSO-E, Energinet.dk, the company responsible for Denmark’s network, is failing hugely when it comes to security.

Luke Herbert, a researcher in IT security at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), told DR Nyheder that this was serious cause for concern. “The most alarming part of the report is simply the lack of attention paid to IT security,” he said.

“There’s not an awareness that it should be taken seriously.”

Change on the way
Energinet.dk came in third-last position, 20th out of 22 companies. In 10 out of the 14 parameters, the company got bottom marks, including in the category ‘malware protection’ – a measure of preparedness to deal with a cyberattack.

Energinet.dk acknowledges that security isn’t as it should be. “The report shows that overall we’re at a level that we’re not happy with,” Torben Glar Nielsen, the technical head of the company, told DR.

Rasmus Helveg Petersen, the climate and energy minister, told DR that changes were already underway to improve the security issues at Energinet.dk. “They have asked for an investigation themselves,” he said.

“They have been presented with the conclusions and are in the process of doing something about it.”


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Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

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At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

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Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”