EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

After attempts by foreign interlopers to meddle with the US power grids, the US government has announced measures to reinforce grid security.

Because of the grid’s pre-internet construction, creating analog and manual back-up systems is a relatively straightforward pursuit.

“This approach seeks to thwart even the most sophisticated cyber-adversaries, who if they are intent on accessing the grid, would have to actually physically touch the equipment, thereby making cyberattacks much more difficult,” noted a press release on the mater.

In addition, several bills have recently been introduced to congress to force the implementation of preventative cyber security measures. One of them, titled the Securing Infrastructure Energy Act, has successfully made it through both houses.

Some of the bills came into fruition in direct response to the Russian attacks on Ukraine’s grid in 2015, which touched the lives of 200,000 people. The decision to take legislative action also coincides with a Ponemon Institute report indicating that, within the past two years, 90% of power suppliers have endured damaging cyber attacks.

The prospect of a major cyber attack and threats to cybersecurity on the grid are especially worrying as the US announces its own “digital incursion” into Russia’s power grid. And last month, the US Cyber Command focused its efforts on targets in Iran, likely damaging Iranian systems.

Irrespective of party affiliation, members of the house and senate are urging the White House to release details concerning its provocative cyber behavior, noting that the US may be unprepared to play defense.

The chief cyber security risk officer for the state of Connecticut suggests that with wiped out electric systems and water systems in the US, there could “…be a whole new area of civilian casualties…”

For past CyberTalk coverage about the security of US infrastructure, click here. To learn about click here.

For more on today’s story, visit Politico.com.