US Replaces Automated Systems With “Retro” Technologies To Secure Power Grids

While cybercriminals are still making efforts to attack the critical national infrastructure (CNI) of the US, the country’s government has set up a plan to secure the power grids. The plan includes using “retro” technologies, which means manually controlling the grids with the purpose to isolate them from cyber attackers. This idea arose from the 2015 attack targeted at Ukraine’s power grids carried out by Russian.

The US government has spent years preventing the industrial control systems from cyberattacks. Isolating these systems by using manual and analog technologies instead of modern ones is said to be one of their moves to restrain the reach of a catastrophic outage.

SEIA Bill: The Implementation

SEIA or Securing Energy Infrastructure Act could be considered as the legal basis of this plan. Implemented in 2016, SEIA seeks to protect critical US energy infrastructure from potentially catastrophic cyberattacks. The document said even the most sophisticated attack could not get access to the grid without physically touching the equipment.

There remains controversy around the feasibility of this legislation. However, it will only be put into practice when the House of Representatives approves the law and announces it as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.

SEIA will only be put into practice when the House of Representatives approves it

In that case, National Laboratories have a two-year pilot to research on the power grid operators, developing new devices and identifying possible vulnerabilities.

“Retro” Technologies: Pros and Cons

Statistics show that cyberattacks are increasing in both the number and the threat level within the US over the past two years. Although Russia is considered one of the most accomplished nations for the attackers, the threat also comes from China, North Korea, and Iran. Therefore, it’s not unfamiliar if some experts advocate the idea of disconnecting systems from the internet, saying it lowers the risks and offers more control.

Russia is one of the most accomplished nations in carrying out cyberattacks

In the meantime, many scientists and professionals do not think it’s a good idea, citing some issues regarding “retro” technology. First, the cost is prohibitive in term of human resource, which requires qualified and experienced staff to control the system when it fails. Second, there’ll be consequences on the whole running of the power grids, says Andrea Carcano, CPO and co-founder of Nozomi Networks.