America’s Electrical Grid: Still a Soft Target (from my archives)

The Electrical Grid Runs on Fragile Infrastructure That’s Easy to Attack

Back in August of 2005, I wrote an Op-Ed in The New York Times about the vulnerability of our electrical grid. Sadly, much of what I wrote is still true today.

In the aftermath of the 2003 blackout, securing the grid was supposed to be a priority. But as I pointed out at the time, critical weaknesses remained—specifically, the lightly protected switching stations that control power distribution across the country. These facilities house sophisticated relays and computers that keep the grid stable, yet they are often protected by nothing more than a barbed-wire fence and a thin aluminum building. A few well-placed attacks could take down large portions of the country’s power supply for weeks.

The solution? Harden security at key substations, prioritize the most critical sites, and mandate stronger protections through regulation. The cost would be high, but the consequences of inaction would be far worse. Nearly two decades later, the vulnerabilities I highlighted remain, and the risk of both physical and cyberattacks on the grid has only grown.

Read the original piece here: The Terrorist and the Grid (The New York Times).