Politicians may be taking action due to the potential for cyber security attacks on the US's electric power grids.
We posted some time ago about cyber attacks being exposed as a serious threat to the US. Now it seems other security researchers are saying that this attack is not only possible but the US power grid is a major target which is causing the US to rethink security over the grid infrastructure.
US politicians may consider legislation to gain federal authority over electric companies in order to control the security and prevent cyber attacks from happening against power grids. Many areas in America that have been struck with hurricanes know firsthand what it is like to lose power on a wide scale but they know how to repair it. Just think if a cyber attack happened against densely populated areas in America and the authorities were not able to readily repair the "issue". It would be a big nationwide panic that trickles down to threaten the livelihood of the US culture.
Several industry representatives have endorsed the idea of getting the federal authority strengthened to deal with a cyber attack that could happen against the US power grid. Vice president of the American Public Power Associated Susan Kelly said, "We understand the seriousness of the issue and the need to deal with it, … At the same time, we believe that such legislation must be carefully drawn." It is clear that there is a valid threat that should be taken heed of before something serious happens.
The proposed new law for them to expand the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) would be put in place so that a closer eye is kept on potential attacks. This would also allow Ferc to address threats under its normal protocol which may aid in early warning.
Do you feel like infrastructures in America need added security or need to utilize organizations to monitor them for potential cyber attacks? Do you think the power grid us the US a vulnerable infrastructure waiting to get attacked?