As Southern California Edison expands the electric grid to support a clean energy future, a wide range of . As for the latter concern, the U.S. response or non-response could harm U.S. interests. "It was compiled on 2022-03-23, according to the PE timestamp, suggesting that attackers had planned their attack for more than two weeks." CERT-UA said in a security advisory that the Industroyer2 attack hit a single, unnamed Ukrainian organization in two separate waves, but the attack apparently failed to trigger a power grid failure and that . In 2015, an attacker took down parts of a power grid in Ukraine. Sat 10 Dec 2022 01.00 EST Last modified on Mon 12 Dec 2022 10.49 EST. protect the nation's power grid, but experts have warned . The grid is under attack. Similar attacks happened at two energy substations in North Carolina where residents lost power after gunshots. A geomagnetic storm can be defined as a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is an exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space ecosphere surrounding Earth. cutting power to more than 14,000 customers. Industroyer2 had been scheduled to cut power for a region in Ukraine on April 8 th; fortunately, the attack was thwarted before it could wreak further havoc on the war-torn country. Such a move would likely reduce the efficiency of grid operations and open the door to expanding governments role in protecting other sectors of the economy. The U.S. electric grid faces significant cybersecurity risks from a variety of actors, including criminals, terrorists, "hacktivists," and foreign governments. According to reporting by Politico, there have been 101 physical and cyber attacks on equipment that delivers electricity nationwide just through August of 2022, which is . Power lines in Oregon, seen after a wildfire. The newly created Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence should ensure that collection and analysis of threats to the grid are an intelligence priority and that intelligence on threats to the grid are downgraded and shared with targeted utilities. The 2003 Northeast Blackout left fifty million people without power for four days and caused economic losses between $4 billion and $10 billion. Law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Secret Service have built strong forensic investigation capabilities and strong relationships with both foreign law enforcement and the intelligence community. The economic costs would be substantial. US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report. The new reality is that most of the U.S. Energy Grid critical infrastructure components operate in a digital environment that is internet accessible. Comment |. Addressing this vulnerability is so important that we made it a priority recommendation for DOE to address. Maintaining and exercising manual operations of the grid, planning and exercising recovery operations, and continually expanding distributed power could significantly shorten the duration of any blackout and reduce economic and societal damage. You are also agreeing to our. Follow Chuck Brooks on LinkedIn: LinkedIn, This is a BETA experience. But the electricity grid is an attractive target for cyberattacks from U.S. adversariessuch as nations like China and Russia, as well as individual bad actors, such as insiders and criminals. Twice this year, the Department of Homeland Security warned "a heightened threat environment" remains for the nation, including its critical infrastructure. The gaps for cyber -attackers have been recognized by government and industry. The average top-tier utility plant maintains a . There are many ways to help mitigate threats to the energy infrastructure from cyber, physical and existential causes. The grid includes more than 7,300 power plants,160,000 miles of high-voltage power linesand 55,000 transmission substations. If this were to happen to our smart grid, we would lose the connection to countless devices disrupting services on a large scale. In December 2022, power station attacks in Moore . (2022). In the first eight months ofthis year, 34 suspicious incidents were reported. How the U.S. Can Protect Its Power Grid. Hackers and hacktivists, as well as malicious insiders, also pose significant risks to the U.S. power grid as well." Remote access has made our system more vulnerable to attacks. Protective Measures. Short of outright conflict with a state adversary, several plausible scenarios in which the U.S. power grid would be subject to cyberattack need to be considered: There are many plausible circumstances in which states that possess the capability to conduct cyberattacks on the U.S. power gridprincipally Russia and China, and potentially Iran and North Koreacould contemplate such action for the reasons elaborated above. Michael Assante, the former chief information security officer for NERC, argues that utilities should design their systems with backup tools that are either not connected to any information technology networks or are analog. Ukraine has been hit by a "massive" cyber-attack, . Motives include geopolitics, sabotage and financial reasons. Moreover, current federal requirements do not extend to power distribution, which is regulated unevenly at the state level. Based on data from DOE, physical attacks on the grid rose 77% in 2022. These recommendations have not been implemented yet, leaving the grid vulnerable. ESET . US energy industry faces imminent cyber security threat. The U.S. power grid is suffering a decade-high surge in attacks as extremists, vandals and cyber criminals increasingly take aim at the nation's critical infrastructure . The DOE has run a pilot program, known as the Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program (CRISP), for several years to help companies detect advanced threats targeting their networks. Stay informed as we add new reports & testimonies. Military warns EMP attack could wipe out America, 'democracy, world order' | Washington Examiner, Testimony at the Hearings from the late Dr. Peter Prye, a member of the Congressional EMP Commission and executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, put the threats in frightening perspective: Natural EMP from a geomagnetic super storm, like the 1859 Carrington Event or 1921 Railroad Storm, and nuclear EMP attack from terrorists or rogue states, as practiced by North Korea during the nuclear crisis of 2013, are both existential threats that could kill 9 of 10 Americans through starvation, disease and societal collapse., Dr. Prye also noted that a natural EMP catastrophe or nuclear EMP event could black out the national electric grid for months or years and collapse all the other critical infrastructures communications, transportation, banking and finance, food and water necessary to sustain modern society and the lives of 310 million Americans. Collectively, these recommendations, if implemented, would greatly reduce the likelihood of an adversary deciding to conduct a cyberattack on the U.S. power grid while also improving the chances that the United States would manage any such attack without significant disruption of service. (Dakota News Now) - Attacks on the U.S. power grid increased in 2022, and local electric utility companies are preparing their security systems for any threats. Cybersecurity by design necessitates building agile systems with operational cyber-fusion to be able to monitor, recognize and respond to emerging threats. And in 2015, Sandworm, a Russian hacking group, hit Ukraine's power grid. These fringe groups have been talking about this for a long time, Taylor said. 9 min read. A year later, Russian hackers targeted a transmission level substation, blacking out part of Kiev. The FBI is looking into some of the attacks, but it hasn't said how manyit's investigating or where. The cost to protect all these stations from physical threats is significant and requires strong law enforcement coordination. Second-Order Cone Programming Relaxation of Stealthy . Two other suspects were recently charged in . C.V. Starr & Co. Finding viable solutions will require co-investment, strong public/private sector partnering and collaboration in research, development, and prototyping. FEMA should develop a response plan for a prolonged regional blackout that addresses the logistical difficulties of responding at scale in an environment degraded by the loss of power. At least 20 actual physical attacks werereported, compared with sixin all of 2021. Its unknown who is behind the attacks but experts have long warned of discussion among extremists of disrupting the nations power grid. When a CME hits Earth, it can cause a geomagnetic storm which disrupts the planet s magnetosphere, our radio transmissions and electrical power lines. WASHINGTON The Justice Department unsealed charges on Thursday accusing four Russian officials of carrying out a series of cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure in the . The continued expansion of distributed generation in the form of wind and solar installations could also significantly reduce the magnitude of an attack on the grid; however, most rooftop systems feed directly into the grid, and homes and businesses do not draw from their own systems. For example, grid distribution systemswhich carry electricity from transmission systems to consumershave grown more vulnerable, in part because their operational technology increasingly allows remote access and connections to business networks. Other experts have concluded that an attack on the system for transmitting power from generation to end consumers would have devastating consequences. Several involved firearms. Given the large number of utilities and the vast infrastructure to protect, even with improved cybersecurity, an adversary would still be likely to find numerous unprotected systems that can be disrupted. with Ivan Kanapathy, Bonny Lin and Stephen S. Roach Automated Cyberattack Prevention and Mitigation, DOE Announces $45 Million for Next-Generation Cyber Tools to Protect the Power Grid | Department of Energy. An adversary could also underestimate the ability of the United States to attribute the source of a cyberattack, with important implications for what happens thereafter. Additional threats to the smart grid include: Denial of Service (DoS) - An attack against the availability of the network. The Department of Energy and U.S. intelligence agencies are warning the energy sector of a newly discovered "custom-made" malware targeting the systems that control electricity and natural gas . Therefore, improving the security of individual utilities alone is unlikely to significantly deter attackers. The central microprocessor has an integrated security lock in glowing yellow color. Thus, an adversarys expectations that it could attack the power grid anonymously and with impunity could be unfounded. Russian hackers penetrated networks connecting U.S. electric companies in 2017, placing cyber implants thatif not discoveredcould have led to severe outages. Weve made a bit of progress, but the system is still quite vulnerable, he said. A power plant employee adjusts the wiring of a power unit in North Texas. What Can Be Done? From a resiliency perspective, it might be worth incentivizing the purchase of systems that allow a direct draw and have on-site storage. Shelley Lynch, a spokesperson for the FBI's Charlottefield office, confirmed the bureau was investigating the North Carolina attack. That group has a very different view. In a news release, Timothy Langan, assistant director of the FBIs Counterterrorism Division, saidthe defendants "wanted to attack regional power substations and expected the damage would lead to economic distress and civil unrest.". According to French think-tank Institut Franais des relations internationals (IFRI), the power sector has become a prime target for cyber-criminals in the last decade, with cyberattacks surging by 380% between 2014 and 2015. Finally, the Trump administration should ensure that utilities can invest sufficiently in cybersecurity and do not need to make tradeoffs between traditional risk management activities and addressing national security threats. . In 2022 there were several attacks by White supremacists on northwest power grid electrical substations in Oregon and Washington. "The . Expansion of intelligence and data sharing between the government and private companies, and among private companies themselves, could greatly reduce the chances of an attacker being capable of taking down multiple targets and causing a cascading effect. While some U.S. utilities might block attempts by an adversary to gain initial access or might be able to detect an adversary in their systems, many might not have the necessary tools in place to detect and respond. In the same time period, forty-one weather events caused outages, affecting 5.2 million customers. installed. Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars, C.V. Starr & Co. BRINK Conversations and Insights on Global Business (brinknews.com), Military warns EMP attack could wipe out America, 'democracy, world order' | Washington Examiner, The Public/Private Imperative to Protect the Grid Community | GovLoop. Amidst rising geopolitical tensions, cyber attacks against critical . More than a dozen cases of vandalism have been reported since September. DOE labs have also funded research projects on the specific cybersecurity needs of utilities. Chuck is also an Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown Universitys Graduate Cybersecurity Risk Management Program where he teaches courses on risk management, homeland security technologies, and cybersecurity. "The system is inherently vulnerable. He has an MA in International relations from the University of Chicago, a BA in Political Science from DePauw University, and a Certificate in International Law from The Hague Academy of International Law. In the event that an attack on the grid succeeds in causing blackout to some extent, the Trump administration should ensure that both the government and the industry are prepared to respond. By IronNet Threat Research with lead contributions by Morgan Demboski and Brent Eskridge, PhD. of Justice. by Will Freeman The Moore County, NC grid attack on December 4, 2022. The president should choose a strategy that combines these options in such a way as to deter the adversary from escalating furtherthe adversary should recognize that the consequences of continued escalation will be severe and choose to cease hostile activity, allowing a reset of the relationship. In an indictment issued last week, the U.S. Justice Department said Russian agents persistently targeted more than 3,300 . Power outages are over 2.5 times more likely than they were in 1984. He said that in one group, you have utility executives, their regulators, and the elected officials who oversee the energy industry. Series of attacks come after assault on North Carolina facilities cut electricity to 40,000. According to Chris Hurst, vice president of Value Engineering at OnSolve , emerging threats suggest additional protections may be needed, such as additional perimeter setbacks (where possible), removing sight lines, additional roving security and monitoring, and hardening protective barriers. The POWER Interview: Physical Attacks on the Grid Soared in 2022. Domestic terrorists see the U.S. electric grid as a "particularly attractive target," according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security warning, raising fears of a physical attack on critical . May 19, 2022. Those operations need to be exercised on a regional and coordinated basis. Conceived as the principal defenders of the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has evolved into an institution with vast political, economic, and military power. March 24, 2022. Yet, given the thin margins on which utilities operate, such an unfunded mandate is not likely to meaningfully improve security. Power plants and substations are dispersed in every corner of the country, connected by transmission lines that transport electricity through farmland, forests and swamps. by James McBride and Noah Berman The Barack Obama administration publicly named the foreign actors behind some attacks and provided supporting evidence on a case-by-case basis. Together with continually demonstrating law enforcement and intelligence capabilities to attribute the sources of cyberattacks, a strong statement on deterrence could do more than anything else to prevent an attack on the grid. Within weeks, the U.S. government would have confidence in its attribution. A highly disturbing and realistic possibility one, in fact, that has been a headache for years has moved up a notch amid the Russia-sparked war in Ukraine. Connectivity driven by the adoption of industrial internet of things and operational technology has further expanded the attack surface and energy infrastructure operators should implement security by design to counter cyber threats. Helping reduce the vulnerability and fortify the U.S. Energy Grid has become an urgent need, and the clock is ticking. In 2013, still unknown assailants cut fiber-optic phone lines and used a sniper to fire shots at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation near San Jose in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack that caused millions of dollars in damage. At the same time, the grid is becoming more vulnerable to cyberattacks via: The US government standards agency NIST is also prioritizing cybersecurity of the Grid in their progam Cybersecurity for Smart Grid Systems. Vandalism is also an issue. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth recently told reporters that the power grid . People waiting for taxi in central Kyiv on November 24. April 15, 2022. Sectors such as finance and the defense industrial base have developed strong information sharing practices with government support. The problem is that substations make easy soft targets and there are more than 55,000 connected to the grid in the US. gunfire was reported near a hydropower plant, have warned in one report after another since at least 1990, Power restoredfollowing damage at power substations, North Carolina substations attack is latestinfrastructure threat, Outages in North Carolina county could last days, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. That partnership must include an accelerated effort to fund and design new technologies to protect the utilities from natural or man-made electromagnetic surges; further protect hardware and software in control networks from cyberattack; and provide enhanced physical security. By focusing on detecting early signs of an attack and sharing that information within the sector and with the government, even when individual utilities fail to detect attacks on themselves, they can warn the government and other companies and help prevent wider disruption. The number of direct physical attacks, including acts of vandalism and other suspicious activity, that potentially threatened grid reliability rose 77% to 163 in 2022 from the previous year . With respect to the former, a cyberattack could cause power losses in large portions of the United States that could last days in most places and up to several weeks in others. The goal of such a strategy should be to secure the power grid to make it defensible, to detect attempts to compromise the security of the grid, and to provide certainty to adversaries that the United States will be able to attribute the attack and respond accordingly. Numbers for 2015 show a similar pattern. Solar storms are a different existential threat to address. More than 100 power grid attacks took place in the United States from January to August, breaking this nation's record for power-grid attacks for in one year, according to a Politico report. Such an attack would require months of planning, significant resources, and a team with a broad range of expertise. The FBI would take lead responsibility for investigating the attack domestically and for conducting computer forensics. . To ensure that the United States will be able to maintain military operations even in the face of a large blackout, the Trump administration should plan to end the reliance of military installations on the grid. The bottom line is that cybersecurity for the U.S. Energy Grid must be elevated, One group elevating preparedness is an organization called The Electric Grid Cybersecurity Alliance. https://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=55167, Sneakily Using Generative AI ChatGPT To Spout Legalese And Imply That Youve Hired An Attorney, Unsettling For AI Ethics And AI Law, Lightbulb Moment: Big Business Needs mini-Edisons To Drive Invention, Google TV Adds 800+ Free Live TV Channels, Spotify CEO Addresses AI Concerns, But Also Sees Opportunity To Attract More Creators, Bardeen, The Superglue In A Workflow Full Of Productivity Apps, U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis, Aging grids drive $51B in annual utility distribution spending | Utility Dive, Transmission NOI final for web_1.pdf (energy.gov), Energy Launches New Program To Overhaul the U.S. Electrical Grid - Nextgov, Securing the U.S. Electricity Grid from Cyberattacks | U.S. GAO, Is the Electric Grid Ready to Respond to Increased Cyber Threats? Actions taken now could significantly mitigate the effects of a large-scale blackout caused by a cyberattack. Thompson: Previous Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid and other Russian cyber actions have already had an impact on U.S. national security because we face the same threat. An earlier GAO report notes that the U.S. electric grid faces significant cybersecurity risks because threat actors are becoming increasingly capable of carrying out attacks on the grid. Nations, criminal groups, and terrorists pose the most significant cyber threats to U.S. critical infrastructure, according to the report. April 6, 2023, Backgrounder World Map credits to NASA: [+] https://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=55167. Attacks on power grids are no longer a theoretical concern. Attackers do not necessarily have to get close to cause significant damage. [These attacks] are a real threat.. Two of the attacks shared similarities with the incident in Moore county, North Carolina, where two stations were hit by gunfire. In 2022, there were 163 direct physical attacks on the U.S. electric grid, according to data from the Department of Energy reported . An adversary abuses an organization using equipment with unknown exploitable features. Baltimore power grid attack plot: Sarah Beth Clendaniel and Brandon Russell arrested, officials say - CBS News. In one scenario, disruption of just nine transformers could cause widespread outages. Components are labelled with random serial numbers, with many connections glowing in yellow color too. Public/Private collaboration is essential to preventing a next incident to the grid and a national catastrophe. It is doubtful that a terrorist organization would have both the intent and means to carry out such an attack successfully. In the Lloyds scenario, only 10 percent of targeted generators needed to be taken down to cause a widespread blackout. March 23, 2023 How the U.S. government reacts, more than the actual harm done, will determine whether the cyberattack has a continuing impact on geopolitics. Adversaries may underestimate both the ability of the U.S. government to determine who carried out an attack and the seriousness with which such an attack would be addressed. The U.S. power grid is a key potential target for a Russian cyberattack as tensions increase over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The grid is vulnerable to cyberattacks that could cause catastrophic, widespread, and lengthy blackouts. Other actions for addressing grid cybersecurity risks. And global terrorist and nation state adversaries could pose a threat to stations and substations. Russian hackers took out parts of the country's power grid, which . Pre-Attack Measures. An adversary with the capability to exploit vulnerabilities within the U.S. power grid might be motivated to carry out such an attack under a variety of circumstances.
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