http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/cyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gr avest-short-term-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html
Cyber Attack on U.S. Electric Grid 'Gravest Short Term Threat' to National Security, Lawmakers Say May 31, 2011 5:05 PM Print <javascript:window.print();> RSS <http://feeds.abcnews.com/abcnews/thenoteblog> Share: Email More <http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/cyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-g ravest-short-term-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html> <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=fark&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252Fthen ote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short-term- threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20on%20U .S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20National%20 Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92c90c1 8db949/6&uid=4de92c904990563e&tt=0> Fark <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=technorati&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%25 2Fthenote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short -term-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20 on%20U.S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20Natio nal%20Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de9 2c90c18db949/7&uid=4de92c90bf9cbaa0&tt=0> Technorati <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=google&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252Fth enote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short-ter m-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20on%2 0U.S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20National% 20Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92c90 c18db949/8&uid=4de92c90de2eae9a&tt=0> Google <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=live&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252Fthen ote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short-term- threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20on%20U .S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20National%20 Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92c90c1 8db949/9&uid=4de92c906bff6d2a&tt=0> Live <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=myspace&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252Ft henote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short-te rm-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20on% 20U.S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20National %20Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92c9 0c18db949/10&uid=4de92c9024acebc4&tt=0> My Space <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=newsvine&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252F thenote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short-t erm-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20on %20U.S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20Nationa l%20Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92c 90c18db949/11&uid=4de92c90512ee893&tt=0> Newsvine <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=reddit&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252Fth enote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short-ter m-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20on%2 0U.S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20National% 20Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92c90 c18db949/12&uid=4de92c9095aaa159&tt=0> Reddit <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=delicious&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252 Fthenote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short- term-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20o n%20U.S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20Nation al%20Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92 c90c18db949/13&uid=4de92c907e082f88&tt=0> Delicious <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=mixx&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252Fthen ote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short-term- threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20on%20U .S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20National%20 Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92c90c1 8db949/14&uid=4de92c9027c98907&tt=0> Mixx <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=abcnews&sourc e=tbx-250&lng=en-us&s=yahoobkm&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.abcnews.com%252F thenote%252F2011%252F05%252Fcyber-attack-on-us-electric-grid-gravest-short-t erm-threat-to-national-security-lawmakers-say.html&title=Cyber%20Attack%20on %20U.S.%20Electric%20Grid%20'Gravest%20Short%20Term%20Threat'%20to%20Nationa l%20Security%2C%20Lawmakers%20Say%20-%20The%20Note&ate=AT-abcnews/-/-/4de92c 90c18db949/15&uid=4de92c90ca9f9267&tt=0> Yahoo ABC News' Huma Khan reports: The United States is ill-prepared to deal with a cyber attack on the nation's electric grid, one of the biggest national security threats facing the country today, lawmakers warned. "The sobering reality is this vulnerability, if left unaddressed, could have grave, societal-altering consequences," Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee today. "We face a menace that may represent the gravest short term threat to the peace and security of the human family in the world today." Experiments by federal agencies in recent years have shown that cyber spies have intruded the U.S. electric system, and that it's increasingly susceptible to attacks by hackers and foreign governments. The weakness in the system, some lawmakers argue, can also be exploited by terrorist groups like al Qaeda, which are advancing their technological capabilities. "We know there are many many PhDs inside al Qaeda, whether we like it or not," said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "They are very technically sophisticated." Administration officials today admitted that nuclear reactors specifically are less secure than in the past, and smart grids -- new digital electricity networks that are being promoted around the country -- are more exposed than traditional systems. Because the new internet-protocol based systems <http://csis.org/files/publication/100322_ElectricalGridAsATargetforCyberAtt ack.pdf> utilize commercial software over the internet, they make the system more vulnerable. Coordination between agencies is also lacking, some say. "Yes, threats are greater. Undoubtedly," said Joseph H. McClelland, director of the Office of Electric Reliability at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. "When it comes to national security... the process is too slow, it's too open and it's too unpredictable." Several bills have been introduced in Congress to tackle the issue, but none has made it to the president's desk. The GRID Act, introduced a year ago, aims to give FERC the authority to issue rules and procedures to protect the nation's grid without prior notice or hearings. It would also expand the Energy secretary's powers over such matters and require the Defense secretary to prepare a plan identifying emergency measures and procedures that would need to be taken in the case of a cyber attack. The president would have the authority to order and authorize immediate emergency measures without Congressional approval. The "pay-as-you-go" legislation wouldn't cost taxpayers any money over the next ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Another related bill, the SHIELD Act, would make it a crime for a person to knowingly disseminate classified information related to U.S. intelligence activities. Earlier this month, the White House released a more comprehensive cybersecurity plan calling for industries vulnerable to cyber attacks, like electricity, to create plans that would make their computer systems more secure. "Our critical infrastructure -- such as the electricity grid, financial sector, and transportation networks that sustain our way of life -- have suffered repeated cyber intrusions, and cyber crime has increased dramatically over the last decade," the report <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/12/fact-sheet-cybersecur ity-legislative-proposal> stated. "Our nation is at risk. The cybersecurity vulnerabilities in our government and critical infrastructure are a risk to national security, public safety, and economic prosperity." Industry leaders say there should be more federal standards that protect against such threats, but have pushed back against increased government involvement in the electric sector, especially in the corporate arena. "Government authority to deal with cyber emergencies is needed," stated a written testimony by Gerry Cauley <http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/Media/file/Hearings/Energy/0531 11/Cauley.pdf> , president and chief executive of North American Electric Reliability Corp. But "additional authority to address grid security vulnerabilities is not necessary." Others questioned whether FERC is equipped to handle the new responsibilities it would be given under the GRID Act. "We question whether FERC has the technical or intelligence-handling expertise to exercise such a broad new authority," Barry Lawson <http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/Media/file/Hearings/Energy/0531 11/Lawson.pdf> , associate director at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, told lawmakers. "Operationally, this new authority could result in the establishment of potentially conflicting or different cybersecurity standards in the U.S. and Canada." The renewed warning by lawmakers comes the day Wall Street Journal <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304563104576355623135782718.h tml> reported that the Pentagon would declare computer sabotage from another country an act of war. The story cited the Pentagon's cyber strategy report, which is due to be released in a few weeks. When asked about the story today, Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said, "A response to a cyber incident or attack on the U.S. would not necessarily be a cyber response ... All appropriate actions would be on the table if we are attacked in cyber." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, discuss-os...@yahoogroups.com. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor biso...@intellnet.org http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: osint-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: osint-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: osint-dig...@yahoogroups.com osint-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: osint-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
