Enemy Number One for the Electric Grid: Mother Nature

Infrastructure has always been a target in a time of war, both to erode military capabilities and to bring political pressure to bear. Recent attacks on the electric grid in the United States and around the world have underscored that critical infrastructure is still very much a target today. Indeed, senior Obama administration officials have expressed concerns about the rising vulnerability of the American electric grid to cyber attacks, even as the administration has invested billions in “smart grid” technologies that have the potential to increase the vulnerability of US energy infrastructure. This article examines the risks, vulnerabilities, and threats facing the US electric grid, concluding that building resiliency to everyday threats and hazards, such as climate change and “insider” threats, will go a long way towards preventing cyber and other deliberate attacks.