POWER INSTALLATIONS IN THE U.S – PRIME TARGETS FOR CYBER ATTACKS

POWER INSTALLATIONS IN THE U.S – PRIME TARGETS FOR CYBER ATTACKS

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11712100_sPower utilities in the U.S. are under daily cyberattacks, according to report released Tuesday by members of Congress.

Of about 160 utilities surveyed in the 35-page report, more than a dozen reported “daily,” “constant,” or “frequent” attempted cyberattacks on their computer systems.

“Grid operations and control systems are increasingly automated, incorporate two-way communications, and are connected to the Internet or other computer networks,” the report said. “While these improvements have allowed for critical modernization of the grid, this increased interconnectivity has made the grid more vulnerable to remote cyber attacks.”

i-HLS ISRAEL Homeland Security 

According to CNET, U.S. lawmakers have been ramping up attention over the past few months about to the need to protect the country’s power grid from hackers. If power utilities, water infrastructure, or transportation networks were taken down in a cyberattack, the country’s day-to-day operations could be crippled.

According to the report, power disturbances and outages already have major economic ramifications. Currently, power failures are estimated to cost the U.S. between $119 billion and $188 billion per year

While the data in the report sounds alarming, none of the utilities reported any damage to their facilities or actual breaches of their systems. In fact, most respondents said the incidents did not even rise to “reportable levels.”

According to Reuters, many of the utility companies said that the report was “overblown” and that their systems were well protected under standards set up by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC).