Cyber Security: A "Virtual" Reality

Two years after 9/11, the industry remains vulnerable.

 

Two years ago the utility industry, like everyone else in America, was blindsided by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In the aftermath, the rush to secure the grid was on, and the caps on security spending came off-at least for a little while.

Two years later, where are we? Is the grid better protected from attack?

It is, but not by much, according to the experts Fortnightly consulted.

"There have been definite improvements," says Paula Scalingi, president of The Scalingi Group, and the former director of the Department of Energy's Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection. "The level of awareness is significantly higher than before 9/11 in many, many respects." But "does that translate into increased security?" she asks. "The answer is no, not really."

In any kind of conspiracy investigation, the focus is on who, what, where, when, why, and how. Since 9/11, those questions are even harder to answer. Beyond the general labels of "terrorists" or "al-Qaida," the industry doesn't know who, specifically, to look out for. What, where, and when are even murkier-no one knows exactly what kind of damage terrorists are looking to inflict, let alone the location or time. Americans still largely don't understand the "why," and "how" remains the biggest mystery of all. Yet the answer matters a great deal to the industry, and to the infrastructure dependent on electricity and gas to function.