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As part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to align energy cybersecurity efforts across the country, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) has funded the release of a set of energy distribution cybersecurity baselines for...more
As discussed previously in this blog, physical attacks against substations have been on the rise. However, the U.S. power grid is also vulnerable to cyberattacks from U.S. adversaries, which includes hostile foreign...more
Although that new smart refrigerator might seem like a fun gadget and great way to sync up grocery lists, smart appliances have the potential to become vectors in malicious power grid attacks. Or what about the increasingly...more
Over the past several years, the energy sector has become a prime target for hacking and ransomware attacks, with over 40 attacks on the industry since 2017. Cyber attacks have only continued to rise, with a record high of...more
For the fourth straight meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the fourth since Willie L. Phillips was appointed its acting Chair, an order aimed at improving the reliability of the nation’s electric...more
Continued Threats of Ransomware Attacks - As we reported in our 2021 Year in Preview series, we began 2021 anticipating that ransomware would be a serious threat to critical energy infrastructure. These concerns were...more
The Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act (LIPA), a new Texas law that went into effect June 2021, prohibits Texas businesses and governments from contracting with entities owned or controlled by individuals from China,...more
Shortly before Thanksgiving, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a request for public comment on Version 2.0 of its Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (C2M2), which DOE released in July 2021 to help organizations...more
President Joseph Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the Act) on November 15, 2021, which allocates $550 billion in new spending over the next five years to improve US infrastructure,...more
On July 6, 2021, the staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) issued a whitepaper...more
On April 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) called for public comments on policies that the Administration should pursue to secure the U.S. electric grid from exploitation and attack by foreign adversaries. The DOE...more
Bottom Line Up Front: The Department of Energy (DOE) will implement new cybersecurity programs to enhance energy sector resilience. DOE’s announcement coincides with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s support...more
According to media reports, ransomware attacks against the manufacturing industry have more than tripled compared with last year. This dramatic rise in cyberattacks poses serious concerns about the vulnerability of critical...more
Editors’ Note: This is the first in our fifth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year. The Growing Threat of Ransomware - According to media reports,...more
Trump Administration Approves Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for Land Leasing, Oil Drilling - "The Trump administration continues to roll back environmental protections and opening doors for the fossil fuel industry in...more
On August 5, 2020, members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee questioned witnesses from the power industry and the federal government about the readiness of the United States bulk-power system (BPS) for a...more
ExxonMobil, Partners Discover Carbon Capture Technology for Industrial Sources - "A possible breakthrough in technology that could capture more than 90% of carbon dioxide emitted from industrial sources has been announced...more
President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 139201 on May 1, 2020, declaring a national emergency in order to secure the nation's bulk-power system. The president's order explains that such systems are threatened by foreign...more
Security experts nationwide warn that the United States should expect serious cyberattacks from Iran in the next few months. The anticipated attacks, retaliation for United States’ killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani,...more
In October 2019, the Ponemon Institute and Siemens released their joint report assessing the state of cybersecurity in the energy sector. The report, “Caught in the Crosshairs: Are Utilities Keeping Up with the Industrial...more
Editors’ Note: This is the second in our fourth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year. Our previous entry discussed the CCPA. Up next: a look into how...more
As electric utilities move towards the implementation of smart grid software and hardware, an area of interest is potential exposure to cyber attacks. The electric grid generally refers to the network of transmission lines,...more
Consistent with our experience, security firm McAfee has confirmed in a report that ransomware attacks have doubled in 2019. Medical providers have been hit hard this year, and one provider, Wood Ranch Medical, located in...more
On Sept. 26, 2019, the Protecting Resources on the Electric Grid with Cybersecurity Technology (PROTECT) Act was introduced in the Senate. An amendment to the Federal Power Act, the PROTECT Act aims to more effectively...more
The Senate is considering bipartisan legislation to boost the defenses of the nation’s power grid against cybersecurity threats. The bill—the Protecting Resources on the Electric Grid with Cybersecurity Technology Act, or...more