Cybersecurity for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): Regulatory
Challenges and Opportunities

Ensuring the security of nuclear facilities has been a critical element in preventing theft of nuclear materials and sabotage that could result in a radiological release. In the past decade, addressing the threat of a cyberattack on a facility that could lead to either an act of theft or sabotage has been presenting technical and regulatory challenges to operators as well as national authorities. In this context, the forthcoming arrival of small modular reactors (SMRs) and other advanced nuclear reactor technologies has raised a series of questions as to whether the international and national legal frameworks are prepared to address the cybersecurity challenges associated with this new type of technology. The objective of this paper is threefold: 1) identify gaps and challenges in addressing cybersecurity implications for SMRs; 2) conduct a brief analysis on cybersecurity national regulatory perspectives and identify best practices; 3) provide a series of recommendations on how these challenges could be potentially mitigated from a regulatory perspective. The paper will put forward the idea that for addressing the cybersecurity challenges associated with SMRs strong adaptative regulatory mechanisms, as well as international cooperation are vital.