Infrastructure protection

Critical infrastructure operators must double cybersecurity spending: report
A new study finds that critical infrastructure operators in the United States are massively under spending on cybersecurity
- Read more
Scientists develop new concrete corrosion sensors
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in developing sensors which dramatically improve the ability to spot early warning signs of corrosion in concrete; the sensors will make monitoring the safety of structures such as bridges and vital coastal defenses much more effective
- Read more

Smart paint monitors structural safety
An innovative low-cost smart paint that can detect microscopic faults in wind turbines, mines, and bridges before structural damage occurs; the environmentally friendly paint uses nanotechnology to detect movement in large structures, and could shape the future of safety monitoring
- Read more
Massive solar storm leaves critical infrastructure largely unharmed
Last week critical infrastructure operator’s dodged a bullet when a colossal solar storm sent a flood of highly-charged protons hurtling at the earth; critical infrastructure operators had braced for the worst, but the storm only resulted in minimum disruptions to the world’s energy grid and transportation systems
- Read more

Sea water could corrode nuclear fuel
Japan used seawater to cool nuclear fuel at the stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant after the tsunami in March 2011 — and that was probably the best action to take at the time; scientists have since discovered a new way in which seawater can corrode nuclear fuel, forming uranium compounds that could potentially travel long distances, either in solution or as very small particles
- Read more
Wetlands capture more carbon than earlier thought
New study shows that wetlands in temperate regions are more valuable as carbon sinks than current policies imply; the study found that the stagnant wetland had an average carbon storage rate per year that is almost twice as high as the carbon storage rate of the flow-through wetland
- Read more

New concrete corrosion sensors developed
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in developing sensors which dramatically improve the ability to spot early warning signs of corrosion in concrete
- Read more
Hackers attack U.S. railways
Last month hackers took control of passenger rail lines in the Northwest, disrupting signals twice and creating delays
- Read more

New material removes radioactive gas from spent nuclear fuel
Worldwide efforts to produce clean, safe nuclear energy and reduce radioactive waste are aided by researchers who showed that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be used to capture and remove volatile radioactive gas from spent nuclear fuel
- Read more
Restored wetlands rarely equal condition of original wetlands
Wetlands provide many societal benefits such as biodiversity conservation, fish production, water purification, erosion control, carbon storage; along the coast, they also serve as natural barrier which moderate and slow down hurricanes as the hit land; a new analysis of restoration projects shows that restored wetlands seldom reach the quality of a natural wetland
- Read more

Helping utilities predict service life of pipeline infrastructure
Scientists develop regression models to help utility companies predict the service life of wastewater pipeline infrastructure and take an active approach to pipeline replacements and maintenance
- Read more
Critical flaws in SCADA give hackers edge
In an effort to improve critical cybersecurity flaws in industrial control systems, last week researchers released exploit modules that take advantage of security gaps in six major control systems, but in doing so, have made it easy for hackers to infiltrate these systems as none of them have been patched or taken offline
- Read more

Infrastructure security market to see robust growth
A combination of ageing infrastructure, smart grid adoption, rising compliance and regulations, and utilities becoming a target for criminal exploitation has created a robust growth in the utility infrastructure security market
- Read more
Booz Allen calls for greater critical infrastructure investment
In advance of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, defense contractor Booz Allen is urging the president to focus on critical infrastructure investment
- Read more
GAO: critical infrastructure operators need more coherent regulations
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the bulk of U.S. critical infrastructure is inadequately protected as operators lack a coherent set of guidelines
- Read more

More headlines