How California Is Protecting Its Critical Infrastructure from Cyber Threats (from The National Interest)

To protect power grid integration from cyber threats in California, the California Public Utilities Commission has funded a cyber information sharing program, California Energy Systems for the 21st Century (CES-21). According to Jamie Van Randwyck, project lead for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, “The CES-21 program has been a highly productive and collaborative initiative thus far. The research and development being pursued in this program has the potential to change the way utilities protect their critical assets.”

CES-21, launched in 2012, aims to provide accurate and fast communication of cyber threats and the development of automated response capabilities to be executed prior to critical infrastructure damage. This initiative includes a team of technical experts from California’s three largest public utilities — Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric — and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that will perform research in power grid cyber security. I have written a commentary for The National Interest here.