The XXVI International Forum «Electric Networks – 2024» (IEF) took place in Moscow from December 3rd to 5th, 2024, at the Crocus Expo IEC. Thousands of specialists from the power and electrical engineering industries, scientific experts, representatives of government bodies, and project and construction professionals participated in the event.

On December 5th, as part of the seminar «Issues of developing trusted hardware and software complexes (HSC) for power system management», Kirill Latyshev, a leading engineer in the Information Security Department of «NEC.TECH» LLC, delivered a presentation on «The Practice of Implementing Secure Software Development Processes (SSDP) in Intelligent Relay Protection and Automation Systems».

Infrastructure and data security is a crucial aspect of SSDP. «NEC.TECH LLC» (part of the NEC JSC industrial group of companies) has experience and high-level expertise in implementing SSDP processes and technologies in energy facilities.

In his presentation, Kirill Latyshev emphasized that domestic developments in secure software development allow for improved quality of software products, including confidence in the license compliance of borrowed code; reduce the likelihood of threats and the number of vulnerabilities, ultimately significantly reducing the costs of correcting errors both during software development and after its release; minimize the time to market for updates; and allow the release of a product in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control (FSTEC) of Russia.

«It's important to understand that SSDP is an ongoing process that considers security at all stages of the software lifecycle, and security measures must be regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with new threats and vulnerabilities. The presence of SSDP in a developer is an important element for building a technologically independent industry and economy», emphasized Kirill Latyshev, leading engineer in the Information Security Department of «NEC.TECH» LLC.

The seminar moderator, Alexander Voloshin, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Honorary Doctor of Electrical Engineering, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Engineering, Director of the NTI Center "Power Transmission Technologies and Distributed Intelligent Power Systems» at MEI National Research University, and Vladimir Gennadievich Karantyaev, Candidate of Technical Sciences, leader of the MEI NTI Center's practical cybersecurity expertise center, noted the relevance of the «NEC.TECH» representative's presentation.

«The large-scale development of digital technologies in all areas is accompanied by a growing level of cyber threats. Therefore, the process of digitalization requires ensuring information security. Otherwise, technological sovereignty cannot be achieved. The International Forum «Electric Networks» is a unique platform where the professional community has the opportunity to present its developments, share experience, and exchange opinions on the main directions of development of the power grid complex», commented Alexander Voloshin.

The seminar also extensively discussed issues of developing trusted artificial intelligence methods; the justification and necessity of using embedded cryptographic protection tools; and other topics.