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posted by martyb on Tuesday July 16 2019, @12:42AM   Printer-friendly
from the time-to-start-stockpiling-electricity dept.

Congress mobilizes on cyber threats to electric grid:

Lawmakers are zeroing in on the potential for foreign cyber attacks to take down the U.S. electric grid, with members in both chambers pushing hearings and a flurry of bills to address the issue.

Congressional interest in the issue is growing following reports that Iran has stepped up its cyber attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure, and as Trump administration officials cite threats from Russia and China against the electric grid.

A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee focused on threats to the grid during a hearing on Friday, as lawmakers look to get ahead of the issue.

[...] [Assistant secretary of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). Karen] Evans highlighted the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) earlier this year on the threat.

The assessment found that Russia not only has the ability to execute cyber attacks against the U.S. electric grid, but is also "mapping our critical infrastructure with the long-term goal of being able to cause substantial damage."

On China, the ODNI warned that the country "has the ability to launch cyber attacks that cause localized, temporary disruptive effects on critical infrastructure."

Recent analysis has also shown that Iran is stepping up cyber attacks against the U.S., drawing the attention of Trump officials. Christopher Krebs, the director of the Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency, said in a statement that officials "will continue to work with our intelligence community and cybersecurity partners to monitor Iranian cyber activity, share information and take steps to keep America and our allies safe."

The array of threats has Congress taking notice, and lawmakers from both parties have introduced a number of bills to combat cyber threats to the energy sector.

[...] Richard Mroz, senior advisor on state and government relations at Protect Our Power, said out a serious roadblock to legislation to secure the grid are concerns over costs.

"One challenge industry and regulators have is what is this all going to cost, and it isn't quite clear what those costs are yet," Mroz told The Hill. "Consumers need to understand that to protect these systems, it's going to cost something."

But Mroz underlined the overall threats to the grid and the urgency facing lawmakers. He warned that despite industry's efforts, in a worst-case scenario a cyber attacker could hack into a control system and endanger civilians.

"That is the issue, that an adversary could remotely turn off the power plant, turn off the wastewater treatment system, turn off the pumps or the switches for our cell tower," Mroz said.


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  • (Score: 3, Touché) by MostCynical on Tuesday July 16 2019, @03:25AM

    by MostCynical (2589) on Tuesday July 16 2019, @03:25AM (#867411) Journal

    Then ensure there is no connection between the control systems [inductiveautomation.com] and the internet.

    Then go and get anyone who thinks onneting them to the internet was a good idea in the first place and fire/tar-and-feather/shoot them.

    And do the same to anyone who suggests it in the future

    Also, don't buy any systems that require internet connection to function.

    Air-gapping shouldn't be for TLAs and tinfoil hat wearers*

    *sorry, if you do maintain secure systems and try to practice good op-sec, you are a tinfoil hat wearer to the rest of the populace.

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
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