Hacking the Lights Out

Abstract

The article discusses cybersecurity and the potential for a cyberattack on the U.S. electric power grid. According to the author, computers control every facet of the modern electrical grid and is the greatest example of physical infrastructure interlinked with electronics. Topics include an overview of the Stuxnet virus that infected Iran's nuclear program, which according to the author, revealed how vulnerable machines could be to a well-developed electronic virus, similar vulnerabilities in the U.S. grid, and efforts by the U.S. to increase security to prevent an attack on the U.S. electrical grid. INSET: Holes in the Grid.