Trump Declares National Emergency As Foreign Hackers Threaten U.S. Power Grid

President Trump has signed an executive order that declares foreign cybersecurity threats to the U.S. electricity system a national emergency.

President Trump signed an executive order, May 1, to further secure the U.S. bulk-power system from foreign adversaries that he wrote are “increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities.” The executive order, declaring a national emergency over the hacking threat, bans the “acquisition, importation, transfer, or installation,” of bulk-power system electricity equipment from companies under foreign adversary control.

MORE FROM FORBESFederal Commission Warns Dangerously Insecure U.S. At Risk Of ‘Catastrophic’ Cyber Attack

The executive order also confirmed that a task force had been established, with members including the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, to work to protect against national security threats to energy infrastructure. What this order did not do is go as far as naming any specific foreign adversaries, nor the companies they may control.

However, President Trump did state that the acquisition or use of bulk-power system electricity equipment “designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied,” subject to the jurisdiction of these unnamed foreign adversaries adds to their ability to “create and exploit vulnerabilities,” with “potentially catastrophic effects.” Acknowledging that an open investment climate needs to be maintained for the growth of the economy, President Trump wrote that this openness has to be balanced with the requirement to protect against a “critical national security threat.”

MORE FROM FORBESFBI Says Foreign States Hacked Into U.S. COVID-19 Research Centers: Report

The then Director of National Intelligence, Daniel R. Coats, published a worldwide threat assessment in January 2019 that warned of the cyber-attack capabilities of both China and Russia when it came to the U.S. electricity grid. That report stated that “Russia has the ability to execute cyber-attacks in the United States that generate localized, temporary disruptive effects on critical infrastructure.” The FBI and Department of Homeland Security released an alert in 2018 warning of “Russian government actions,” targeting, among others, the energy infrastructure sector in the U.S.

MORE FROM FORBESU.S. Air Force Successfully Hacked By ‘Battalion’ Of 60 Hackers

U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dan Brouillette, who will lead the newly established task force, said “It is imperative the bulk-power system be secured against exploitation and attacks by foreign threats. This Executive Order will greatly diminish the ability of foreign adversaries to target our critical electric infrastructure.” The Department of Energy established the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) to improve energy infrastructure security, including preparedness and response against cyber-attacks.

Speak Your Mind

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Get in Touch

350FansLike
100FollowersFollow
281FollowersFollow
150FollowersFollow

Recommend for You

Oh hi there 👋
It’s nice to meet you.

Subscribe and receive our weekly newsletter packed with awesome articles that really matters to you!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

You might also like

Newark Airport Embodies New Reality As Airlines Move To...

A lonely plane is parked at at the gate...

Equity Shot: The DoJ, Google, and the suit could...

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers...

Randy Orton Sparks Feud With WWE NXT Locker Room...

Randy Orton's comments about #LegSlap has drawn the ire...

Trump Sons Hint At 2024 Runs As President’s Polling...

Topline President Trump’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, both of...