A Michigan Technological University engineer has received funding to develop a system for preventing cyber attacks against electrical substations, according to an article from the Detroit Free Press.

Chee-Wooi Ten has been awarded a $24,000 donation for the project, plus hardware and software worth $210,000, the article says. The funding came from Waterfall Security Solutions, a company based in Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel, which makes a gateway system designed to improve on conventional computer firewalls.

Companies are reluctant to fully utilize electronic control systems for substations, fearing hackers could penetrate cyber security and cause blackouts, the article reports.

Ten is an electrical and computer engineering assistant professor at the school in Houghton. He is working with government agencies, power companies and their suppliers to make substations more secure, the Free Press writes.