A meeting of electricity company experts in Washington D.C. organized by the Bipartisan Policy Center addressed the growing concern about cybersecurity threats to the United States power grid.
A meeting of electricity company experts in Washington D.C. organized by the Bipartisan Policy Center addressed the growing concern about cybersecurity threats to the United States power grid.
Because computers run much of the electricity infrastructure remotely, the possibility of sabotage by computer hackers is a serious concern.
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Most of the electric utility companies surveyed did not meet the cybersecurity standards that are recommended by the North American Electric Reliability Corp.
Chris Peters, vice president for critical infrastructure for nuclear power company Entergy, said: “We have to treat the cyberthreat with the same respect that we give to forces of nature, like hurricanes, floods, ice, and storms. We have to fund it, we have to staff it and we have to be ready to respond as necessary.”
The power grid is partially run by internet connections, which can be taken over and controlled by cyberattacks and cause energy blackouts.
Protecting the power grid from being sabotaged by cyberthreats has become a top priority for the US government, so the cost of utilities like electricity might be going up because of the expense associated with heightened security.
