New Senate bill takes aim at power grid hackers
A growing concern cyber attacks on the U.S. power grid
A new energy bill in the Senate takes aim at fighting potential U.S. power grid hacks and looks to help strengthen overall digital defense of the grid.
Specifically, the Energy Policy Modernization Act was created in an effort to defend our the U.S. power grid against possible terrorist cyber attacks.
The detailed energy reform bill has a number of cyber security provisions that proponents claim will strengthen the ability to defend against cyber attacks.
U.S. looks to bolster power grid cyber security
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell touted the bill earlier this week, saying that it, “would help deter attacks by erecting stronger cybersecurity defenses, and it would help provide for faster and more effective responses when threats do arise.”
The proposed legislation comes at a time when multiple cyber attacks have affected power grids in recent weeks: Ukraine, Ukraine again, and, most recently, Israel. The cyber attack on the power grid in Ukraine in December 2015 was the worst of the bunch, as it knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of Ukranians.
The bill would also reportedly authorize $100 million in yearly funding for research into energy grid security through 2025.
Source → The HillHow to prevent attacks on the power grid: https://t.co/v1erP65q7Y pic.twitter.com/6Irrsqk2Mm
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