US electrical grid attacks on the rise, facility vulnerability exposed. The deterrence policy should articulate how the administration would view an attack on the power grid and should outline possible response options. 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. Someone clearly wanted to damage equipment and, possibly, cause a power outage, said John Lahti, the utilitys transmission vice-president of field services. In the Ukraine case, attackers targeted substations that lower transmission voltages for distribution to consumers. In 2019, we recommendedthat FERC consider adopting changes to its approved standards to more fully address federal guidance and evaluate the potential risks of a coordinated attack. The US Department of Energy (DoE) reported 150 successful . What Can Be Done? Fri 8 Apr 2022 // 07:58 UTC. Doing so would also reduce the likelihood of the grid becoming a military target. Shelley Lynch, a spokesperson for the FBI's Charlottefield office, confirmed the bureau was investigating the North Carolina attack. The trends of integration of hardware and software combined with growing networked sensors are redefining the surface attack opportunities for hackers . Based on data from DOE, physical attacks on the grid rose 77% in 2022. Both weather and solar storms, are top factors for power outages in the United States (one other big factor is outages from squirrels hanging out on transformers and transmission lines!). Sat 10 Dec 2022 01.00 EST Last modified on Mon 12 Dec 2022 10.49 EST. Here it comes: Biden team warning U.S. power grid is definitely subject Hurricanes, tornados, fires, floods, and other acts of nature can have devastating impact on power plants, transformers and transmission lines. What Can Be Done? This is good news as both government and industry need to better collaborate in the energy sector and focus on cybersecurity. Why Russia Hasn't Launched Major Cyber Attacks | Time Smart grid cybersecurity must address both inadvertent compromises of the electric infrastructure, due to user errors, equipment failures, and natural disasters, and deliberate attacks, such as from disgruntled employees, industrial espionage, and terrorists. American-made guns trafficked through Florida ports are destabilizing the Caribbean and Central America and fueling domestic crime. Global Health Program, Why the Situation in Cuba Is Deteriorating, In Brief Many experts predicted that Russia would launch significant cyber attacks in Ukraine, shutting down the country's electrical grid for example. New 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. Two of the attacks shared similarities with the incident in Moore county, North Carolina, where two stations were hit by gunfire. Fighting domestic terrorist attacks on the grid with VPPs 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. The central microprocessor has an integrated security lock in glowing yellow color. Several involved firearms. In 2022 there were several attacks by White supremacists on northwest power grid electrical substations in Oregon and Washington. Illustration of a coronal mass ejection impacting the Earth s atmosphere. Also, state actors, criminal gangs, and other attackers are homing in on energy critical infrastructure. Power lines in Oregon, seen after a wildfire. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been subjected to centuries of international intervention by European powers, as well as its African neighbors. Even before Christmas Day attacks on power substations in five states in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast, similar incidents of attacks, vandalism and suspicious activitywere on the rise. 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 . NERC reliability standards call for a risk-based approach in the implementation of physical security safeguards that include access Control, key cards, alarms, and roving security. In January 2023, a bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that domestic violent extremists "have developed credible, specific plans to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020, identifying the electric grid as a particularly attractive target. In February, three men who ascribed to white supremacy and Neo-Nazismpleaded guilty to federal crimes related to a scheme to attack the grid with rifles. Given the recent news of Industroyer2 targeting Ukrainian electrical substations in April 2022 and the increased threat of cyber attacks on energy infrastructure, IronNet Threat Research took an interest in breaking down and analyzing past malware and threat actors that have targeted the . 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. Unfortunately, the US has had much practice in this area and preparation and resilience and the key to recovery. Energy sector power grid security information and insights 2022 Power grid attacks on substations increase across US: What to know NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2023 / Edison International. 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.". DHSs emergency response organization FEMA has been a leader in accomplishing this mission. The EMP threat can also be implemented by missiles exploded in the atmosphere, and other delivery methods. They can damage artificial satellites and cause long-lasting power outages. These response options would clarify how the U.S. government would respond not only to a successful attack but also to a failed attempt and to the discovery of adversarial probing and exploration to prepare for an attack. In August of 2022, the Department of Energy (DOE) pledged $45 million "to create, accelerate, and test technology that will protect our electric grid from cyber-attacks," while also helping America attain cleaner energy and a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. It was formed to address the urgency of protecting energy critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks. February 13, 2023 It's not yet clear whether any of the attacks were coordinated. The U.S. power grid is a key potential target for a Russian cyberattack as tensions increase over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. A security guard standing inside a commercial building nearby the window reflecting light. Annual Lecture on China: Frayed RelationsThe United States and China, Virtual Event It said it was actively cooperating with the FBI. 3) Existential Threats Weather, Solar Storms, and EMP. Although attribution was not definitive, geopolitical circumstances and forensic evidence suggest Russian involvement. In January, the Department of Homeland Security said domestic extremists had been developing "credible, specific plans"since at least 2020 and would continue to "encourage physical attacks against electrical infrastructure.". These options would include a show of military force, such as moving U.S. ships into disputed waters or staging exercises in contested regions; response in kind, through cyberspace; traditional military options; public and private diplomacy; use of economic sanctions targeting the state and the private entities or individuals involved; use of international law enforcement to arrest any parties involved; and targeting of known intelligence assets. Unlike enterprise information technology, the industrial control systems that control the power grid typically perform single functions and need to communicate only with a small set of other devices in routine patterns. Clearly, someone, or 10,000 someones per minute, in Iran has shown a desire to cyberattack our nation. Given the fragility of many industrial control systems, even reconnaissance activity risks accidentally causing harm. Motives include geopolitics, sabotage and financial reasons. Attacks on the US power grid spiked 77% in 2022, leaving it 'extremely Ukraine: Russian Attacks on Energy Grid Threaten Civilians 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. 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. Calling the electric grid one of our greatest national vulnerabilities, Woolsey added, If you get up into months or years of the electric grid going down, you move us back not into the 1980s, pre-Web, but into the 1880s, pre-electric grid. Will Vulnerable U.S. Electric Grid Get a New Protection Mandate? US Power Grids Attacks Reach All-Time High in 2022 - Bloomberg At least 108 human-related events were reported during the first eight months of 2022, compared with 99 in all of 2021 and 97 in 2020. . He said that in one group, you have utility executives, their regulators, and the elected officials who oversee the energy industry. Ukrainian power grid 'lucky' to withstand Russian cyber-attack Industry experts, federal officials and others have warned in one report after another since at least 1990that thepower grid was at risk, said Granger Morgan, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University who chaired three National Academies of Sciences reports.

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