Congress is working to secure the nation’s power grid because the power grid is facing a major cyberattack because:
- the power ” industry’s digital defenses are dangerously lagging and underfunded
- energy companies are “scrambling to play catch-up”
- energy companies are ” leaving the all-important power grid exposed to hackers”
- “the industry isn’t fully prepared to stymie sophisticated hackers.”
- “In 2014, the energy sector was the most targeted of the nation’s critical infrastructure industry sectors,”
5 Solutions bandied about in D.C.:
- New presidential team to coordinate cyber threat assessment & response efforts
- More funding for cybersecurity in energy and utilities
- More funding for the Energy Department program, Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems, to research & develop tools to protect the grid
- Create “The Terrorism Prevention and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act” to direct DHS to work with critical infrastructure companies, like power grid operators and utilities to boost their cyber defenses