Meghan McGuinness: “Cyber attacks are an increasing risk for the US electric sector and have eclipsed terrorism as the primary threat, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team responded to 256 incidents that targeted critical infrastructure sectors in fiscal year 2013, and 59 percent of those incidents involved the energy sector. A large-scale cyber attack or combined cyber and physical attack could lead to enormous costs, potentially triggering sustained power outages over large portions of the electric grid and prolonged disruptions in communications, food and water supplies, and health care delivery. Moreover, cyber threats are more difficult to anticipate and address than traditional threats to electric grid reliability, such as extreme weather. A cyber attack could come from many sources and—given the size and complexity of the North American electric grid—could target multiple vulnerabilities. Advanced grid technologies provide new efficiencies and other benefits but also increase cybersecurity challenges, because the transition from analog to digital controls creates new potential pathways into utility systems.”