The following is a collection of news articles (non-exhaustive) on the vulnerabilities of the power grid and alleged penetration. Click the titles of the articles below for further information.
Simulated attack points to vulnerable power infrastructure (Sept 28,2007)
Critical infrastructure often under attack (Nov 11, 2008)
Power grid is found susceptible to cyberattack (March 21, 2009)
Electric Grid in US Penetrated by Spies (April 8, 2009)
China denies attack on US power grid (April 9, 2009)
Legislation calls for new security standards for government and critical infrastructure systems
By Jaikumar Vijayan
April 1, 2009 (Computerworld) Two U.S. senators are proposing legislation that would give federal officials significant new authority to create and enforce data security standards both for government agencies and key parts of the private sector.
The Cybersecurity Act of 2009, which was introduced by Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), would empower the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish "measurable and auditable" security standards for all networks and systems run by federal agencies, government contractors and businesses that support critical infrastructure services. In addition, NIST would be charged with developing a standard for testing and accrediting software built by or for those groups.
The bill also calls for the creation of a national cybersecurity adviser's office within the Executive Office of the President. Under the proposal, the new operation would be modeled after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and have the power to compel federal agencies to comply with government security mandates.
According to a statement posted on Snowe's Web site Wednesday, the new legislation is aimed at reinforcing ongoing cybersecurity efforts within the government while also ensuring that proper safeguards are implemented for critical infrastructure targets within the private sector, such as banking and power systems. .. More >>
The Open Group, a vendor- and technology-neutral consortium focused on open standards and global interoperability within and between enterprises, today announced the general availability of a new whitepaper about information security strategy. Co-written by The Open Group Security Forum and the American Bar Association’s Cyberspace Law Committee, the whitepaper presents a strategic framework for information-centric security governance. Additionally, the paper offers a methodology for security compliance both within and beyond the perimeter of the enterprise, and recommends further standards to support information security in a boundary-less environment.
Previously, securing ownership of proprietary information security was accomplished mainly through securing a physical ‘perimeter’ via network hardware and software technologies. The new realities of information access and use, based now on distributed relationships within and between enterprises that use a mix of proprietary and non proprietary information, require securing information and infrastructure access and flows beyond the perimeter. This new paradigm requires dynamic interaction of technologists, legal advisors, and business policy makers alike. The whitepaper is available for free download here.
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