Security Alert: Can Our Grid Withstand... Us?

In May of 2021, I found myself sitting in line with what felt like the rest of North Carolina waiting for gas. I had resisted the initial rush, but even in rural Appalachia, people panicked, and gas stations had been out of gas for days. While I sat there sweating at 25 miles till empty (AC was a luxury I could no longer afford), I thought: How could this happen? How did the U.S. let an outside entity hack a central gas pipeline?

According to Reuters, the answer was simple: A single password got compromised. This single security slip allowed hackers to send the Southeastern U.S. into a panic for weeks, constricting access to a central pipeline that fuels the transportation sector on the East Coast. Is this another argument for electric cars? No, not necessarily, because the U.S. grid system faces similar security issues as America increasingly relies on electricity for all sectors of daily life.

Lines to fill gas tanks were long in Charlotte N.C. in May 2021 due to the pipeline hack, photographed by Logan Cyrus and shown in this New York Times article.

To be fair, the “one leaked password” catastrophe makes these security systems for U.S. infrastructure sound too simple. Cybersecurity and safety measures are robust and prevent issues every day. However, there is a bipartisan concern in the U.S. that the grid system is not infallible to attack. This Senate Republican Policy Committee (RPC) paper cites concern that other countries, including Russia, Iran, and China, could compromise grid infrastructure. According to the Senate RPC, a central part of the grid's vulnerability is its increasing connections to the internet. While these connections have functional benefits in the U.S., they also increase opportunities for access that outside forces could utilize in a worst-case scenario.

Beyond human interference, the unfortunate news is that there's a threat to the grid that looms much closer: unpredictable weather patterns. As climate change warms the planet, natural disasters are more intense and more frequent. The most recent example that shocked the U.S. was in February 2021, when a winter storm and freezing conditions shut down the grid across Texas. CNBC reported that many utility plants froze, and the grid couldn't supply enough power to keep up with energy demand in the low temperatures. Some people were left without power in these conditions for days. According to The Texas Tribune, 246 deaths were ultimately attributed to the natural disaster, almost two-thirds of them caused by hypothermia. Texas is unique due to its grid's separation from the rest of the U.S. grid network; however, the failure caused an uproar amongst politicians and industry leaders alike, showing the nation what can happen when the grid isn’t prepared to deal with adverse conditions.

Mark Felix photographed people waiting in line to fill their propane tanks on the fourth day without power in Houston, Texas, on February 17, 2021, as reported by CNBC.

Whew. That’s a lot of stuff going on there but rest assured—all hope is not lost! The U.S. simply needs to buckle down and focus on the solution for all these issues: increasing grid resiliency. As we diversify the grid’s energy sources, update infrastructure, and develop innovative cybersecurity tactics, a brighter and safer system for all is in our future. Next week, we just might talk about some of the fun and resilient grid solutions already being implemented. In the meantime, don’t worry too much about the “leaked password to mass power outages” pipeline; there are plenty of professionals out there who are very set on not letting that happen. Thanks for reading!