The Urgency Of Strengthening America’s Electric Grid Cybersecurity (From RealClearEnergy)

The U.S. electric grid continues to face a bevy of foreign and domestic cyberattack threats. Therefore, it makes more sense than ever before for utilities and transmission operators to aggressively fortify their cyber defenses. In fact, failure to do so is a classic case of being penny-wise and pound-foolish. 

The grid’s Operational Technology (OT) vulnerabilities are particularly notable. OT refers to the remote monitoring and control of components in the electric system. This encompasses supervisory control and data acquisition and industrial control systems networks. 

Lexington Institute’s Paul Steidler discusses these matters in an Op-Ed in RealClearEnergy here.