BgNS organized a workshop on cyber security in the nuclear area

Challenges in front of the cyber security in the nuclear science and in the nuclear power and technology were discussed at the workshop on cyber security in the nuclear sector, organized by the Bulgarian Nuclear Society, in cooperation with the platform for Education and Innovation in Energy Cyber Security and the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy – Bulgarian Academy of Science (INRNE-BAS). The workshop was held on 26th June 2019 and hosted by INRNE-BAS. Representatives from Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, State Enterprise Radioactive waste, Utilities magazine, Nuclear Regulatory Agency, State Agency “National Security”, Embassy of the United States, Electric vehicles industrial cluster, Kozloduy NPP – New Build, European Parliament participated in the workshop. During the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lachezar Georgiev, director of INRNE-BAS, presented the project “Building and Development of the Competence Center “Quantum Communication, Intelligent Security and Risk Management Systems (Quasar)” in which the Institute is involved. Prof. Georgiev in his presentation pointed the main objectives of the project, the approaches to the implementation and the importance of the results for increasing the level of cyber security in the country and in the energy sector. He explained the basic ideas behind the quantum approach to encrypting information flows and the benefits which it brings to the protection of the information transfer process. The main model of interaction in the field of cyber security in the country and stakeholders relationships were described in the presentation of Mr. Dimitar Stoyanov, Coordinator of the platform for Education and Innovation in the Energy Cyber Security. Comparing with other countries in the world, Mr. Stoyanov gave a good assessment of the level of cyber security in Bulgaria. The presentation of Mr. Vladimir Yankov, Head of the Classified Information Protection Department at the Ministry of Energy, also aroused interest. Mr. Yankov examined the legal framework of cyber security in Bulgaria, the institutional interaction in this area and the main threats that are being counteracted by cyber security systems. He provided examples by the real life for successful handling with cyber attacks against critical infrastructures and measures which have been taken to limit them in the future. Among the debated topics during the workshop was the regulatory framework, which outlined the role and activities of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency in control of information security of nuclear sites, the architecture of cyber security in the design, operation and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, measurement and evaluation of cyber security by operators, and a cyber security culture in the nuclear sites. The issues related to current status of National cyber security and approaches for its future improve by improving the legal framework and drawing on the experience of the leading countries in this field were also discussed. The ethical and economic aspects of cyber security, the need of periodical review of the current status of activities and to compare the interests of key nuclear and energy stakeholders were considered in the workshop as well.