Cyber: Utility targeting

The FBI director, Christopher Wray, has finally said what we all knew. Utilities are being targeted and there is “far too little public focus is on the cyber threats that affect everyday Americans.”

The power grid is the obvious target. Our houses, companies, water supply and hospitals all depend on regular power. There is a significant push for people to go green and use solar or wind. You can read a little about grid design in this Vox article. Let's imagine some of the potential issues here.

An interesting thought experiment would be on solar: what if the bad guys decided to make a botnet out of home solar gear. These are now networked, rather than the old-school hardwire (simplified: these would turn off your power if you put too much on the grid). Could an adversary turn those systems on or off at an useful (to them) time?

Another interesting thought experiment would hinge on optimization. Some engineers have pushed to use IIoT to measure heat on wires, which would allow grids to run closer to their full potential. (This would make a huge difference in the time to add in solar or wind, so this is also quite feasible.) Let's say you were an adversary and changed the temperature. Dial it down a little, so it looks like your wires are fine on a hot day, then sit back and wait.

These are not even the real nightmare scenarios. These are just unpleasant and feasible imaginations of what could happen in a cyber conflict. Life is going to be far different when (not if) the grid goes down.

Also, if you find these ideas in the least inspiring, you should reconsider what you are doing with your life. Please do not read my blog. I have no kind words for you.