Why extremists keep trying to turn out the lights
By ARIANNA SKIBELL 04/08/2024 05:59 PM EDT
Presented by American Clean Power
Political violence has an increasingly common outlet: the electric grid.
Unrest in the U.S. and abroad is driving a “dramatic increase” in malicious cyber activity on the nation’s power system, according to an industry grid watchdog.
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. says the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war combined with Israel’s invasion of Gaza and the impending U.S. election are compounding the steady increase of threats by domestic and foreign actors, writes Catherine Morehouse.
“The current geopolitical situation has significant ramifications for the North American grid,” said Manny Cancel, senior vice president at NERC. “We know activists continue to use this as a vehicle to get their ideology and other political thoughts across.”
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/power-switch/2024/04/08/why-extremists-keep-trying-to-turn-out-the-lights-00151095