Electrical grid security in the United States

This article is about physical security. For a component of reliability, see Power system reliability.

Electrical grid security in the United States involves the physical and cybersecurity of the United States electrical grid. The smart grid allows energy customers and energy providers to more efficiently manage and generate electricity. Similar to other new technologies, the smart grid also introduces new security concerns.[1]

The electric utility industry in the U.S. leads several initiatives to help protect the national electric grid from threats. The industry partners with the federal government, particularly the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies.[2]

From the 2000s through to the 2020s, the security of the U.S. electrical grid has come into question. Government officials have expressed concern with the possibility of violent extremists and agents of foreign states attacking the nation's electrical grid.[3][4] Cybersecurity is also an issue for electric grid security in the United States with financially motivated crimes being more common than terrorist ones.[5]

  1. ^ McDaniel, Patrick; McLaughlin, Stephen (May 2009). "Security and Privacy Challenges in the Smart Grid". IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine. 7 (3): 75–77. doi:10.1109/MSP.2009.76. S2CID 40490304.
  2. ^ "Cyber & Physical Security". www.eei.org. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Walton, Robert. "Sophisticated hackers could crash the US power grid, but money, not sabotage, is their focus". utilitydive.com. Utility Dive. Retrieved December 11, 2022.