Executive Summary
Many experts in the field of security acknowledge that the United States’ power grid supports all aspects of the country’s economy. The electric power system carries high voltages from central generators to millions of consumers, factories, and industries in different cities and rural areas across this nation. The system is characterized by numerous transmission lines spanning thousands of miles. Unfortunately, the electric grid is currently unguarded against any form of terrorist attack or threat.
The lessons gained from the 2000 US Northeast Blackout catalyzed various strategies to protect the country’s power grid from potential disruption. Some of the measures introduced focused on physical protection and automation systems.
The government has employed competent engineers and professionals to protect the country’s power grid from attacks. However, this paper acknowledges that most of the initiatives put in place do not provide superior safeguards against potential threats from terrorists and criminals. The presented recommendations include the introduction of superior physical measures and the implementation of advanced cybersecurity systems. The paper also supports the importance of human resources since it can ensure that there are competent engineers and programmers to protect the country’s power grid. The government should, therefore, consider the presented insights and ideas to safeguard the integrity and efficiency of this critical infrastructure.
Introduction
Every country has vital resources and systems that support economic development and the welfare of its citizens. These are known as “critical infrastructures,” and every government should safeguard them against any form of attack or damage. Some of the potential sources of threats include natural disasters, cyber threats, and terrorist activities. In countries such as the United States, security agencies focus on the highest standards to maximize preparedness, recovery, response, and protection. Due to the changes experienced in different parts of the world, most of the critical infrastructures have become connected than ever before.
This new structure has catalyzed numerous security challenges. This research paper examines and presents numerous ideas that all responsible critical infrastructure organizations should consider to protect the United States’ power grid from different threats, including terrorism.
Background Information
The concept of national security currently focuses on various initiatives and practices many government agencies undertake to protect lives and safeguard critical infrastructures from potential threats. Goel, Hong, Papakonstantinou, and Kloza (2015) define “critical infrastructure” as any form of system or asset that supports the functions and operations of a given nation and its economy. The destruction or damage of a given critical infrastructure by criminal activity, terrorism, fire, or natural disaster will have a negative effect on the security and economic performance of the affected country. Such an attack can also have significant impacts on the experiences of many citizens.
The emergence of competing industries and electricity consumers in the United States is a development that has stretched the reliability and effectiveness of its power grid. This has become a major challenge since the original grid system was initially designed to address the needs of individual consumers (Naylor, 2018). Presently, the system is expected to deliver enough power to all integrated utilities and users. Within the past five decades, the American government has implemented adequate measures to support the development of a high-voltage system to meet such needs.
The occurrence of power outages in the United States is a problem that results in huge losses. Although most of them do not result from terrorist attacks or sabotage, many professionals have acknowledged that any type of interruption will affect the lives of many people and industries. Thunderstorms and fallen trees have been observed to have significant negative consequences on the country’s power grid system in the past (CNA Military Advisory Board, 2015). In countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, terrorism has remained a major predicament that is capable of disrupting the electricity supply (Naylor, 2018). Although attackers might not use grenades and bombs to sabotage power lines and transformers, the chances are high that they loot and disable grids.
With the U.S. power system covering over 160,000 miles and having thousands of substations, any terrorist attack can have significant consequences and possibly bring its economy to a sudden halt. This fact explains why different government agencies have instituted evidence-based strategies to safeguard the country’s power grid from potential attacks. However, Lohrmann (2018) indicates that many people in different regions are usually without power for several hours every day due to various interruptions.
The responsible security organizations have also boosted transmission capacity in an attempt to maximize the quantity of electricity available to different consumers. Experts have taken modern technologies seriously to protect the country’s power grid from possible threats (Naylor, 2018). Despite such developments, it is evident that most of the initiatives put in place fail to provide appropriate protection measures against different forms of sabotage.
Current Practices and Gaps
The lessons after the infamous 2000 US Northeast Blackout led to a number of strategies and measures to protect the country’s power grid from disruption and damage. Goel et al. (2015) reveal that the occurrence led to losses of around 5-10 billion US dollars. Similarly, an attacker managed to disrupt the power supply in Ukraine in the year 2015. Although the main cause or nature of the disruption was unknown, experts and forensic scientists indicated that there was an element of terrorism in it. In 2016, the Russians went further to disrupt transmission in a local substation in Kyiv. Such events forced the National Security Agency (NSA) to consider superior measures to protect Ukraine’s power grid.
In the recent past, different agencies, engineers, and experts in the United States have supported the implementation of smart grid technologies. This means that the Internet is presently supporting the connectivity between appliances and power meters. Such systems also monitor the performance of the power grid and transmit instantaneous alerts whenever there is disruption. With such technologies in place, the country has ensured that power is delivered to different domestic users and commercial consumers (Lohrmann, 2018). With the increasing use of computer systems, mobile devices, and applications, the relevant agencies have continued to upgrade their connections in an attempt to protect the power grid from attacks.
Another approach is that of a deterrence posture. Different security organizations have focused on physical preventive options that can dissuade terrorists from attacking different aspects of the United States’ power grid. The strategy focuses on the best frameworks to ensure that terrorists do not have access to various critical systems, including power lines, high-voltage fuses, and transformers (Lohrmann, 2018). Such measures are efficient since they have managed to deter potential attackers from compromising America’s power grid. The involvement of different stakeholders is an evidence-based strategy that continues to deliver positive results.
The use of industrial control systems is a model that has delivered meaningful results. This is the case since they connect devices and streamline the process of community electricity transmission. However, such systems have been characterized by various weaknesses and gaps (Anwar & Mahmood, 2014). For example, it has been impossible for involved parties to link them with smart grid technologies. The presence of weak authentication procedures or mechanisms also poses numerous challenges to the existing preventative measures.
Trees have also been found to present numerous threats to the country’s electricity grid. Terrorists can cut them and sabotage the integrity of the power supply system. With this kind of knowledge, the relevant agencies and organizations have been undertaking numerous surveys to cut trees that grow near grid lines. The relevant agencies deploy security officials in different strategic locations and substations to deter terrorists and potential attackers (Goel et al., 2015). Consequently, the country’s power grid has continued to support the delivery of electricity to millions of consumers, thereby promoting economic performance and development.
Despite such measures and initiatives, there are various gaps that expose the United States’ power grid system to potential attacks. The first one is that many high-voltage transformers and towers lack sustainable security measures. This means that a group of terrorists can access them with ease and destroy them. They can achieve this objective through the use of modern or advanced explosives. When such attacks occur, the chances are high that different industries, households, and government operations will be affected significantly (Lohrmann, 2018). The country’s transmission grid is also aging, thereby being unable to withstand a coordinated assault or attack. Additionally, the government has failed to introduce improved technological systems to prevent or minimize power outages.
The second gap is the absence of adequate physical protection measures against sabotage. This is true since there are not enough security officers assigned to guard different towers, transformers, and substations across the country (Sanger, 2018). This means that skilled attackers or terrorists can capitalize on this weakness or gap to damage them. Additionally, workforce concerns have affected the integrity and effectiveness of the country’s electricity supply grid. Without coordinated activities and initiatives, the chances are high that any terrorist attack can have significant impacts on the integrity of the system.
Another gap arises from the current use of automated and centralized systems. In an attempt to improve connectivity and transmission, the country’s power grid has benefited from high-speed communication systems. For example, the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technologies gather timely information from substations and transformers and relay it to different equipment, including circuit breakers.
There are also energy management systems that dictate the way electricity is supplied and consumed in different parts of the country. Although such connections might be reliable and capable of supporting economic performance, they still remain vulnerable or exposed to cyberterrorists. This kind of threat can affect the entire supply system and affect numerous operations across the country. This means that other critical infrastructures will also be at risk. Hackers can also manipulate different SCADA systems and transmit wrong messages or signals to different operators or generators.
Competent and skilled engineers manage and support America’s electricity system. Unfortunately, such individuals are aging very fast, thus being unable to monitor the performance and effectiveness of modern computer devices (Rieger & Manic, n.d.). This challenge explains why hackers and phishers can use their skills to attack such systems and affect the quantity of power available to different factories, households, or institutions (Sanger, 2018). These gaps, therefore, explain why there is a need for evidence-based mechanisms and initiatives to protect the country’s power grid from any form of attack from terrorists.
Recommendations
Different industries, factories, institutions, and agencies in the United States rely on its power grid to receive electricity. The relevant agencies and organizations have focused on modern technologies and systems to ensure that the country’s transmission system is capable of delivering positive results. However, current stresses and expectations on the power grid continue to present numerous concerns.
According to Koppel (2015), terrorism remains a major challenge or threat to this critical infrastructure. Past events and occurrences have revealed that attackers can disrupt the electrical grid and affect different sectors of the economy. With this kind of understanding, the recommendations presented below have the potential to address this concern and support the integrity of the United States’ power grid.
The first suggestion is to focus on the best measures to minimize the levels of physical vulnerability. The government should provide adequate funds to ensure that there is surveillance in all substations and towers. There is also a need to construct new systems and stations for emergency or backup purposes whenever there is an attack (Popovich, 2018). This approach will ensure that all parts of the grid are safeguarded from terrorists. The government should consider hiring or recruiting more professionals and security officers to secure all substations. Additionally, it can introduce superior intrusion sensors in an attempt to minimize possible threats.
The second recommendation should focus on the current level of cyber vulnerability since it can disorient the effectiveness of the country’s power grid. This means that all responsible organizations should eliminate primitive cybersecurity sensors, improve communication pathways, and introduce advanced external control systems (Koppel, 2015). The use of sensors and antivirus software will ensure that all computer-based systems are protected from possible attacks. There is also a need to employ competent computer professionals and programmers to mitigate the current threat of cyberterrorism.
Thirdly, all concerned parties should introduce new training programs and simulators to equip workers with advanced skills. Such a move will make sure that all engineers and employees are empowered to identify and mitigate potential sources of threats. They will also share available information with the relevant leaders and colleagues, thereby minimizing the chances of potential threats. Finally, there is a need for the government to introduce automated control systems that can relay information to control rooms whenever necessary (Perlroth & Sanger, 2018). This objective is attainable if the government introduces superior systems that can act as backups. This model will ensure that the country has adequate energy whenever a given attack succeeds.
Conclusion
The above research paper has revealed that the United States’ power grid system has adequate features that make it sustainable and capable of supporting its economic development goals. However, the challenges of terrorism and sabotage continue to affect its integrity and effectiveness. With this kind of knowledge, the government has implemented a number of initiatives to safeguard such systems from attacks, including the construction of modern lines, automation, the use of superior technologies, and the employment of skilled security officers. In conclusion, there is a need for advanced cybersecurity measures, physical protections, and evidence-based human resources practices to mitigate such threats.
References
Anwar, A., & Mahmood, A. N. (2014). Cyber security of smart grid infrastructure. Web.
CNA Military Advisory Board. (2015). National security and assured U.S. electrical power. Web.
Goel, S., Hong, Y., Papakonstantinou, V., & Kloza, D. (2015). Smart grid security. New York, NY: Springer Shop.
Koppel, T. (2015). Lights out: A cyberattack, a nation unprepared, surviving the aftermath. New York, NY: Crown Publishers.
Lohrmann, D. (2018). Cybersecurity for energy’s critical infrastructure. Government Technology. Web.
Naylor, B. (2018). Russia hacked U.S. power grid — So what will the Trump administration do about it? National Public Radio. Web.
Perlroth, N., & Sanger, D. E. (2018). Cyberattacks put Russian fingers on the switch at power plants, U.S. says.The New York Times. Web.
Popovich, N. (2018). How does your state make electricity? The New York Times. Web.
Rieger, C., & Manic, M. (n.d.). On critical infrastructures, their security and resilience – Trends and vision. Web.
Sanger, D. E. (2018). Russian hackers appear to shift focus to U.S. power grid. The New York Times. Web.