We must act now to protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks

By U.S. Sen. Angus King
(I-Maine)

Here in the United States, we are lucky to live in one of the most technologically-advanced countries in the world. And while this provides an unprecedented level of access to information, it also makes us one of the most technologically-vulnerable countries in the world and exposes us to possible cyber-attacks. In fact, at this very moment, there are hackers across the globe working to find weaknesses in the digital systems that help run critical infrastructure like the electric grid that we rely on to power our daily lives.

A successful cyber-attack on the grid or other American infrastructure could have catastrophic consequences for our country. That’s why we need to take proactive steps to safeguard against these threats.

From my position on the Senate Intelligence Committee, I’ve heard testimony from top security officials outlining how critical infrastructure like the energy grid are desirable targets for bad actors like hackers, terror groups, or foreign countries hoping to attack the Unites States. These same officials have also warned that, without action, we remain vulnerable to cyber-attacks that could result in terrible damage to our public health and safety, economic security, and national security.

To see the potential dangers of this type of cyber-attack, look no further than an incident in December of 2015 that left more than 225,000 Ukrainians in darkness. That sophisticated cyber-attack was coordinated to target the industrial control systems within Ukraine’s power grid, which act as the intermediary between the grid’s computers and the switches that actually distribute electricity.

Ironically, the hackers behind the attack in Ukraine might have caused even more damage if not for the fact that the Ukrainians still used older, manual technology to operate their grid. So believe it or not, the future of securing our grid could actually be found in the past.

In order to build on this approach of using “retro” technology to shore up our energy grid cyber-defenses and protect us from potential attacks, I introduced a bipartisan bill this week that would examine possible solutions that replace key automated devices that are vulnerable to cyber-attacks with analog and human-operated systems.

This bill, the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act of 2016, seeks to thwart even the most determined and sophisticated cyber-adversaries. By adding these safeguards, we could make it much more difficult for hackers to attack the grid remotely.

A bipartisan group of Senators have joined me on this legislation, including Senators Susan Collins, Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). Each of these Senators serve with me on the Intelligence Committee, and they know just how pressing this issue is for the safety and security of our country. By aiming to reengineer the so-called “last-mile” of the energy grid, our bill would enlist the assistance of top national security experts and the energy industry to study ways to isolate its most important systems, add manual safeguards, and help defend our energy infrastructure from a devastating blow that could cut off electricity to millions of people across the United States.

In the digital age, cyber-space is a new battlefront and we need to be prepared for the day that our adversaries will try to use our technological advances against us. As demonstrated recently in Ukraine, that day could be tomorrow. We must meet that threat head on ‚Ä“ and do so without delay.