Power grid failures are nothing new; in fact, during the winter of 1965 the United States experienced one of the worst power outages in its history. While a tree branch taking out a power line may not seem like it could cause significant damage to the grid in 2003 one such incident left 50 million people in the eastern U.S. without power for days. Actionable threat and risk assessments are needed to optimize owner/operator investments in both new technology and the replacement of aging infrastructure to improve security. The postulated mechanisms are geomagnetic storms, electromagnetic pulse attacks (EMP) via a high altitude nuclear detonation, cyberattacks, and kinetic attacks. There's about 2,000 of them in the North American grid, and most people don't know it but they start the foundation stones of our modern electronic civilization. From the Dragos report : “In February 2019, Dragos identified a change in Xenotime behavior: starting in late 2018, Xenotime began probing the networks of electric utility organizations in the U.S. and elsewhere using similar tactics to the group’s operations against oil and gas companies. The bulk power system faces new and evolving cybersecurity threats. REVIEW Open Access An assessment of threats to the American power grid Matthew Weiss1 and Martin Weiss2* Abstract Concern has been raised that the electrical grid of this nation is vulnerable to prolonged collapse. It’s never a good moment when operators get the dreaded phone call saying power has been lost; unfortunately, it seems as though it’s starting to happen more frequently than ever. As a result of the pressure from the weakening grid, data centers have begun to utilize renewable resources harvested from their surroundings. Revelations earlier last week that hackers linked to Russia attacked and took down the Ukrainian power grid are bringing to light once again major threats to the American power grid. What do China, Russia, bubonic plague and global warming have in common? The age of the power grid. Our electrical grid is old. Critical Infrastructure Protection Standards With the rise of non-traditional threats by state and non-state actors have become a With demand for energy at an all-time high it’s crucial to ensure the power stays on even as the grid stretches to capacity. The threat of losing power is among the top stressors for industries such as data centers, hospitals and universities. But today, threats to the reliability of the power grid are numerous: cyber-attacks, weather, and accidents. These investments also need to be appropriately Power grids are an essential part of any developed and developing countries in so that without it, the country would be unable to operate like it should. As the risks increase, no longer can they rely solely on the power of their host country and supplemental power is becoming vital. power grid. Recently, physical security of the electrical power grid was thrust into the national limelight largely due to news media reports about the April 16, 2013 sniper attack on Pacific Gas & Electric’s Metcalf Substation in San Jose, California. Energy-Pinching Americans Pose Threat to Power Grid Sluggish Sales Could Deprive Utilities of Revenues to Maintain Vast Network of Generating Plants and High-Voltage Lines Cyber threats can come from direct attacks aimed at electric grid or other critical infrastructure that could impact the operations or security of the grid. Now it appears they’re targeting America’s power grid. Fortunately, the most significant threat is also the most avoidable—bad policy. Unfortunately, according to the report of the congressionally funded EMP Commission, power grid failure for one year would result in the death of nine out of every 10 Americans. Review of Power Grid Vulnerability to Extreme GIC Events from E3 Threats or Severe Geomagnetic Storms U.S. power grid design trends have greatly increased the vulnerability and potential impact of E3 threats and geomagnetic storms (long east‐west transmission lines) A worm in the plant’s non-power systems was said to be coincidental. But a sophisticated physical attack on a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power station in Metcalf, Calif., early on April 16, 2013, changed the assessment of our power grid’s vulnerability. Electric Grid Security and Resilience | Establishing a Baseline for Adversarial Threats 3 Executive Summary some cases.