Today’s LiveWire Spotlight looks at NERC’s Final Report for Grid Security Exercise (GridEx) VI held virtually last November. At that time, 3,000+ participants from multiple industries (water, electricity, natural gas, and communications) and governments (Municipal, State, Federal, and International) in a decentralized two-day tabletop simulation of a large-scale nation-state cyber/physical attack. A follow-up session for business and government executives was held afterwards to discuss the issues, actions, and coordination needed to respond to a cross-border event.
The six Grid Security Exercises conducted since 2011 have contributed extensively to the industry’s ability to withstand a coordinated cyber/physical attack. But new attack vectors appear regularly and there is no sign that vigilance can be relaxed.