Infrastructure protectionUtilities increasingly aware of grid vulnerability
An analysis by the federal government shows that if only nine of the country’s 55,000 electrical substations were shut down due to mechanical failure or malicious attack, the nation would experience coast-to-coast blackout. Another report finds cybersecurity as one of the top five concerns for U.S. electric utilities in 2014. The report also found that 32 percent of the surveyed electric utilities had deployed security systems with the “proper segmentation, monitoring and redundancies” needed for adequate cyber protection.
An annual report from the consulting, engineering, and construction firm Black & Veatch, titled “2014 Strategic Directions: U.S. Electric Industry,” finds cybersecurity as one of the top five concerns for U.S. electric utilities in 2014. The report also found that 32 percent of the surveyed electric utilities had deployed security systems with the “proper segmentation, monitoring and redundancies” needed for adequate cyber protection.
“The industry is paying attention and actively seeking ways to bolster security practices to limit power system vulnerability,” the report states. “We are seeing an industry that is actively moving forward with the deployment of comprehensive asset protection plans following several high-profile cyber and physical threat events.”
U.S. News and World Report notes that just last year, cybersecurity ranked sixth on a similar survey, and now it is the fourth-highest concern for electric utilities, behind reliability, environmental regulation, and economic regulation. “This rise in concern about cyberattacks comes on the heels of headline-grabbing cyber incidents,” the report says. Federal regulators have imposed stricter standards on cyber assets used by electric utilities, leading to a greater demand for security assessments.
A federal government’s analysis reported by the Wall Street Journal showed that if only nine of the country’s 55,000 electrical substations were shut down due to mechanical failure or malicious attack, the nation would experience coast-to-coast blackout. Another report by the Journal warns that the country’s gas and electric utilities’ reliance on the outdated Windows XP operating systems at workstations could make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
“Foresight is forearmed. In an environment where threats are both real and virtual and physical damage can be triggered by natural forces or nefarious intent, the best approach is preparedness,” the report says. “There is not a single solution, but with an approach that addresses the physical elements of cybersecurity and the cyber elements of physical asset security, organizations will be better equipped and educated to manage the full spectrum of dangers.”
