Secure and Reliable Utility Telecom Networks: Strengthening Underlying Telecom Infrastructure in Today's Risk-Sensitive Environment

In the context of utility telecom networks, security and reliability issues appear at essentially all major layers of the networking model. From application-layer viruses, "Back-Door" user log-ins, and firewall breaches, to potentially harm physical communications links, utilities face a variety of exposures both old and new. This paper focuses on ways to strengthen security and reliability at Layer 1 - the province of leased lines and the transport equipment that shuttles data, voice, SCADA, and other traffic between points in a utility telecom network.