TECHDIGEST – On April 8, 2022, the national electricity grid suffered a system collapse. And it happened not once, but twice in a spate of three hours.

Authorities of the Power Ministry attributed the incident to vandalization. Many parts of the country were thrown into darkness as a result of a resultant power outage.

The grid, which has collapsed five times this year came, exacerbated the challenges facing the country.

The vandalism, which led to the recent grid collapse, happened on a transmission tower on the Odukpani – Ikot Ekpene 330kV double circuit transmission line.

In the wake of the incident, 400MW out of 5000MW of the power produced from the grid was lost.

According to Isa Sanusi, spokesperson to the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, “This consequently led to a cascade of plants shut down across the country.”

For the benefit of hindsight, the recent grid ‘crumbling’ was a partial system collapse.

Surprisingly, many people think national grid collapse results in a total blackout. But it is not so in reality.

According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the grid collapse is divided into two basically; which include the total grid collapse and the partial grid collapse.

The total system collapse according to NERC means a total blackout nationwide while the partial system collapse is a failure of the section of the grid.

In terms of the effects of a grid collapse, a blackout leads to many problems, including heavy economic losses, and power system equipment damage, among others.

What is Electric Power System ?

An electric power system is a network of electrical components deployed to supply, transfer, and use electric power.

An example of a power system is the electrical grid that provides power to homes and industries within an extended area.

The electrical grid can be broadly divided into the generators that supply the power, the transmission system that carries the power from the generating centers to the load centers, and the distribution system that feeds the power to nearby homes and industries.

National Grid

A national grid is a network of electrical transmission lines connecting several generating stations to loads over a wide area.

It is designed to operate within certain limits, stability limits, in line with voltage, current, and frequency.

So, whenever these limits are out of the stability range, the operation of the grid will become unstable and can then collapse.

It could also mean a total or partial loss of power on the network, usually caused by a fault significant enough to lead to high frequency.

Weather conditions can also affect the distribution network causing grid instability.

National Grid System in Nigeria

Nigeria has 30 power generating plants connected to the national grid with the capacity to generate 13,500 MW of electricity.

These plants are managed by generating companies (Gencos), independent power providers, and Niger Delta Holding Company.

The grid, managed by the government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), distributes 4,000 MW, very much less than the 40,000 MW needed to sustain the basic needs of the population.

This deficit is also worsened by unannounced load shedding, partial and total system collapse, and power failure.

To meet demand, many households and businesses resort to purchasing generating sets to power their properties, this source of energy provided 6,000 MW in 2008.

Causes of Power Grid Collapse

Natural disasters have always been the root of the world’s severe power outages. Floods, earthquakes, etc. can fully destroy critical power infrastructures and result in a power outage.

Dust also creates havoc and leads to power outages. Sealed circuit boxes can help in protecting critical electrical equipment and can help in preventing unplanned power outages.

Also, animals coming into contact with the power lines, such as large birds, cause Power outages.

The other causes were primarily man-made outages that show up in the form of vandalism, and vehicle and construction accidents with power poles.

Solutions to Grid Collapse

The smart power grid is the best solution to power grid collapse. It can monitor itself using digital technology. This allows it to balance power loads, troubleshoot outages, and manage distribution without the need for direct intervention from a technician.

Also, Higher voltage lines must be built to catch up with the rising demand imposed by ever-increasing air conditioners, computers, and rechargeable gadgets.

Farouk, a Graduate of Electrical Engineering, Wrote From Wuye, Abuja.
slimumar14@gmail.com

The post Partial Grid Collapse and Nigeria’s Worsening Power Crisis appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECHDIGEST – Did you know that an estimated 36 billion records were exposed due to data breaches in 2020 alone?
Did you know that cybercrime costs organizations $2.9 million every minute?
Still not taking cybersecurity seriously?

Data breaches and hacks are not a joke. If you have neglected to place security measures to prevent them, you might be in big trouble.

Here, we have put together a checklist of nine cybersecurity measures that your business needs to follow. Dive in to learn more.

1. Have a Cybersecurity Plan in Place

If you are a small or medium-sized company having a team of cybersecurity experts can be a far-fetched plan. But then, compromising on cybersecurity is unthinkable. This is where you can go looking for inspiration.

NERC CIP, a nonprofit corporation, has one of the finest cybersecurity guidelines including categorization to recovery plans. NERC CIP was originally established to put in a baseline of security measures to protect the bulk power system in Northern America. Their cybersecurity system was so successful, it became a standard for cybersecurity.

This is why ICS vendors make sure that they provide security products that meet the standards of NERC CIP. They also ensure that their products are up to date and can combat the latest cybersecurity threats. If you’re not sure how to start with your cybersecurity plans, getting a professional like them can be a great investment.
 
2. Knowledge is Your Best Asset

Having cybersecurity protocols in place and not educating your employees about it helps no one.

Your employees connect to your database with various devices and backup their data to different cloud services.

Hackers might need just one click on a phishing email from one of your employees, and then boom, they have access to your database. This is not your employee’s fault. They might not even know what a phishing email is.
Phishing is a form of hacking where the hacker sends an email or a text posing as a legitimate institute. When you click on the link inside the email, they lure you to provide sensitive information.

Every employee must know to differentiate a phishing email from a legitimate email.
Make sure your employee knows the company’s Acceptable Electronic Use (AEU) protocols.

When they Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), make sure the IT department verifies the device for any potential virus that may harm your database.

Inform your employees of the cloud services you trust and sync their data to only those cloud storage.

STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is one of the government resources that provide high-quality free training for employees on cyber security.

3. Backup Everything

If all your data are stored only locally, then you can be in big trouble.

One small data breach event and every critical piece of information that helps run your business might be lost forever.

Backing up your data can protect you from ransomware attacks as well. Ransomware attacks are cybercrime where the hackers encrypt your data and demand exorbitant amounts of money from you to decrypt it.
WannaCry Ransomware attack was a ransomware attack where the hackers demanded $300 – $600 to decrypt.

Estimates suggest that about 200,000 devices were affected. This led to millions or even billions of dollars of damages.
This could happen to you too. This is why it is essential to have a backup of your precious information.

Make sure to select a reliable cloud storage service and have copies of your existing data.

In the event of a data breach, you can use the backup data to get back on your feet. The IT professionals can help salvage the damages incurred in the meantime.

4. Password Protection and Multi-Factor Authentication

A lot of us create one complex password, memorize it, and use it everywhere. Is it safe? Definitely not.

Hackers now possess complex algorithms that can correctly guess any complex password we might come up with.

The only way to truly safeguard yourself is to create a unique password and change it once every few weeks. Having a multi-factor authentication system in place can be an added layer of advantage.

You must be familiar with the process of trying to log in to your account, and it asks you for a One Time Password (OTP). This OTP will be received on an entirely different device. And once you enter the OTP, your log-in will be successful. This is an example of two-factor authentication.
Integrating a third device into your login process adds a layer of protection to your data.

5. Invest in Anti-Malware Software

Even the most skilful, tech-savvy employees can unintentionally become prey to craftily written phishing emails. This is where having an extra layer of protection cannot hurt.

Having anti-malware software can sound like a no-brainer. But they are your most outstanding defense against phishing emails. Phishing emails are used by hackers to access your login credentials.
Hackers usually possess an arsenal of weapons such as traditional viruses, boot sector viruses, ransomware, spyware, and so on. You cannot manually monitor and prevent attacks from all these weapons. The good thing is, anti-malware contains defense mechanisms against a lot of these thus making your life easier.

6. Safe and Secure Wi-Fi

Does your company have a stable, secure Wi-Fi network in place?
If you say yes, then great!
But is that all you need? Nope!
It is not enough to have secure Wi-Fi at your company. Your employees need to have a secure WiFi network at home as well.

A hacker can hack into your employee’s remote Wi-Fi and can quickly gain access to your company’s mainframe within weeks. It is as easy as that.

Your employee’s safety is your safety. The only way to truly protect your company is to educate your employees on the importance of having secure WiFi.

If some of your employees are remote workers, make sure they log in to your server using VPN. Doing your research and identifying a VPN you can trust will help you in the long run.

7. Think Twice before Clicking on a Link

Accidentally clicking on pop-ups and links might make you a victim of a phishing attempt.

Phishing is one of the significant ways in which ransomware attacks take place. Not to mention that it may very well lead to identity theft.

Employ email authentication technologies to block these spam messages. In these cases, the emails will be stored separately in a quarantine folder, and you will receive a notification. From the quarantine folder, you can sort out these emails later on.
Also, have your employees contact higher authorities in the event of receiving emails such as these.

8. Be Up-to-Date

Every plug-in and every software you possess are only good as long as they are updated to their latest versions.

Every time your company sends you an update, do not overthink it. Just update it immediately.

An update is not just about new features and exciting new updates. It is also a means to protect you from software vulnerabilities. Hackers love security breaches. When they see a hole in your software security, they exploit it. An update can help patch up these software vulnerabilities and protect you better.

80% of hacks happen because of the usage of outdated software, according to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre. Do not fall prey to this common mistake and update your software regularly.

9. Know Your Company

Think about your company.
What would be most valuable to a hacker?
What assets do you need to protect with your life?

Increase safety measures placed on these data, and restrict access to employees who do not require them. Give access to these data only to relevant people. This way, you can easily keep track of the activities that take place with this data.

Keep track of the people who can tap into this database. Monitor any suspicious activity or log-in from unauthorized sources. Back up this information into external hard drives. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Not dedicating a specific amount of time and effort against cyber security attacks is the biggest mistake a company can make. Losing data due to cyberattacks can be devastating for a company. Not to mention, it is also very expensive to recover from such an attack.

We hope this article helps you keep your company data from predators and hackers.
Tell us in the comments below what other cybersecurity measures you use in your company.

Source : Naija Techguide

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