![]() Any of the system’s principal elements––power generation, transmission, or distribution––could be targeted for a cyberattack. power system has evolved into a highly complex enterprise: 3,300 utilities that work together to deliver power through 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines 55,000 substations and 5.5 million miles of distribution lines that bring power to millions of homes and businesses. Thus, the United States should take measures to prevent a cyberattack on its power grid and mitigate the potential harm should preventive efforts fail. With respect to the former, a cyberattack could cause power losses in large portions of the United States that could last days in most places and up to several weeks in others. In each case, the United States should consider not only the potential damage and disruption caused by a cyberattack but also its broader effects on U.S. An attack on the power grid could be part of a coordinated military action, intended as a signaling mechanism during a crisis, or as a punitive measure in response to U.S. power grid might be motivated to carry out such an attack under a variety of circumstances. power system is as vulnerable-if not more vulnerable-to a cyberattack as systems in other parts of the world.Īn adversary with the capability to exploit vulnerabilities within the U.S. Rapid digitization combined with low levels of investment in cybersecurity and a weak regulatory regime suggest that the U.S. Iran, as an emergent cyber actor, could acquire such capability. Congress that China and a few other countries likely had the capability to shut down the U.S. In 2014, Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, testified before the U.S. A year later, Russian hackers targeted a transmission level substation, blacking out part of Kiev. Although attribution was not definitive, geopolitical circumstances and forensic evidence suggest Russian involvement. In 2015, an attacker took down parts of a power grid in Ukraine. power grid make potential state adversaries the principal threat.Īttacks on power grids are no longer a theoretical concern. Although cyberattacks by terrorist and criminal organizations cannot be ruled out, the capabilities necessary to mount a major operation against the U.S. Such an attack would require months of planning, significant resources, and a team with a broad range of expertise. Carrying out a cyberattack that successfully disrupts grid operations would be extremely difficult but not impossible. ![]()
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