Spain: Iberdrola and CESEDEN analyse the challenges posed by cybersecurity for national defence and the electricity sector

Iberdrola and the Spanish Centre for National Defence Studies (CESEDEN), the leading joint military training centre for the Spanish Armed Forces, held a Seminar on cybersecurity, national defence and energy supply this morning.

Experts in cybersecurity in attendance at the event analysed the implications of the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) for national defence - also including the international dimension of their consequences - and for the energy supply.

The speakers assessed the threats and challenges arising from the advances in ICT, particularly in two strategic areas for the country such as defence and the electricity supply.

In the first part of the seminar, which was titled Cybersecurity and National Defence. The National and International Dimensions of the Problem; the speakers were the Chief of the Joint Force Command on Cybersecurity (MCCD), Division General Carlos Gómez López de Medina; the Managing Director of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies, Brigadier-General Miguel Ángel Ballesteros; the Chair of Information Sciences at the Madrid Campus of the Pontifical University of Salamanca, Luis Joyanes; and Lieutenant Colonel Ángel Gómez de Agreda, Chief of Cooperation in the Joint Force Command on Cybersecurity (MCCD).

The second part of the seminar, titled Cybersecurity and Energy Supply, with a Special Focus on Electricity, featured the Director of the National Centre for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure, Lieutenant Colonel of the Spanish Civil Guard Fernando Sánchez; the Director and Head of Coordination and Communication in the Centre for Industrial Cybersecurity, José Valiente; the Director of International Security at IBERDROLA, Enrique Victorero; and the Director of External Relations and European Programmes in the Corporate Security Division of IBERDROLA, Francisco Javier García Carmona.

The inauguration of the seminar was also attended by the General Secretary and Secretary of the Board of Directors of IBERDROLA, Julián Martínez-Simancas; the Chair of Constitutional Law at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Manuel Aragón, and the Managing Director of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies, Miguel Ángel Ballesteros (already mentioned above).

A risk that involves all of society

The closing remarks at the end of the seminar were were made by the Chairman of IBERDROLA, Ignacio Galán, and the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Admiral Fernando García Sánchez.

Addressing the audience, Mr. Galán explained that the advances in technologies bring advantages but also certain risks. He went on to say that prevention is a matter that concerns all of society and that the Army plays a crucial role, particularly as regards the security of strategic facilities such as those involved in the energy supply.

“A seminar like the one we have held here today helps to build a solid culture of cybersecurity that gives us all the trust that is needed to harness the many benefits of the Information Society, while at the same time reducing its exposure to the risks to a minimum", he added.

The Chairman of Iberdrola also reminded listeners that the company has a Policy on Cybersecurity Risks, which was approved by the Board of Directors of the company last April. This Policy applicable to all the companies in the Group sets out a comprehensive framework for controlling and managing cybersecurity risks.

To be more specific, this policy looks at the risks derived from threats and the vulnerabilities of information, information and communication systems, facilities and any other assets belonging to the cyberinfrastructure of the Iberdrola Group.

In turn, the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Admiral Fernando García Sánchez, explained that the National Security Act, which recently came into force, places special emphasis on the importance of cybersecurity and energy security as "areas of special interest to National Security", as they are considered to be fundamental in preserving rights and freedoms, ensuring the well-being of the general public and guaranteeing the provision of essential services and resources.

He insisted on the fact that the National Security Strategy has identified "cyberthreats" and the "vulnerability of critical infrastructure and essential services" as two of a list of twelve (12) risks and threats to National Security.

General Admiral García Sánchez described this seminar jointly held by Iberdrola and the Spanish Centre for National Defence Studies (CESEDEN) as an example of the essential collaboration needed between the Administration and those that operate critical infrastructure. This collaboration should enable the adoption of prevention and reaction measures to mitigate the effects of a cyberattack to the greatest extent possible.