![]() ![]() Carpenters built homes before having electric power tools. Granted, there are non-electrical means of doing many things that we depend on for electricity. Unfortunately, without electricity, we could do little that we do today. They keep our food from spoiling and cook it when we’re ready to eat. They bring us information through the Internet and entertainment through our televisions. Those devices do everything from pump our gas to heat our homes. Our homes, places of businesses, entertainment and shopping are all made possible by electronic devices. Pretty much everything we use today requires electricity in one form or another. It’s a good thing we have the power grid, as we use it extensively. ![]() Pretty much everywhere you go, you can count on being able to plug in and have electricity to use. This power grid crisscrosses the country, bringing electricity to homes, offices, factories, warehouses, farms, traffic lights and even campgrounds. After identifying this vulnerability, we recommended the Department of Energy (DOE)-in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, state, and industry partners-address risks to the distribution systems.įind out more about our work on electricity grid cybersecurity by checking out our recent reports linked above.The American culture survives on a lifeline of electrical wires. These recommendations have not been implemented yet, leaving the grid vulnerable.įinally, in March 2021, we found that the federal government does not have a good understanding of the scale of the potential impacts from attacks facing the component of the grid that is generally not subject to FERC’s standards: distribution systems. In 2019, we recommended that FERC consider adopting changes to its approved standards to more fully address federal guidance and evaluate the potential risks of a coordinated attack. For example, and similar to the above, the standards do not include a full assessment of cybersecurity risks to the grid. But it hasn’t taken steps to ensure that those standards fully address leading federal guidance for critical infrastructure cybersecurity. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-which regulates the interstate transmission of electricity-has approved mandatory grid cybersecurity standards. Other actions for addressing grid cybersecurity risks We prioritize recommendations that need immediate attention. Addressing this vulnerability is so important that we made it a priority recommendation for DOE to address. For example, the strategy does not include a complete assessment of all the cybersecurity risks to the grid. However, we found that DOE’s plans do not fully incorporate the key characteristics of an effective national strategy. These threat actors are increasingly capable of attacking the grid.Įxample of an Attacker Compromising High-Wattage Networked Consumer DevicesĪs the lead federal agency for the energy sector, DOE has developed plans to implement a national cybersecurity strategy for protecting the grid. ![]() critical infrastructure, according to the Director of National Intelligence’s 2022 Annual Threat Assessment. Nations and criminal groups pose the most significant cyber threats to U.S. This could allow threat actors to access those systems and potentially disrupt operations. For example, grid distribution systems-which carry electricity from transmission systems to consumers-have grown more vulnerable, in part because their operational technology increasingly allows remote access and connections to business networks. There are several points of vulnerability in the U.S.’s system of electricity grids. These three interconnections operate independently to provide electricity to their regions. It is roughly divided into the western states, Texas, and the eastern U.S. electricity grid is really three interconnected transmission grids covering the contiguous United States, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. Where are the potential weaknesses in our nation’s electricity grid? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |