Senate Passes "Securing Energy Infrastructure Act" to Help Defend U.S. Energy Grid

On June 27, The U.S. Senate passed a bill "To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to identify security vulnerabilities of certain entities in the energy sector."

"... cited as the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act"

As stated in the Press Release, more specifically, the legislation would:

• Establish a two-year pilot program within the National Laboratories to study covered entities and identify new classes of security vulnerabilities, and research and test technology – like analog devices – that could be used to isolate the most critical systems of covered entities from cyber-attacks.

• Require the establishment of a working group to evaluate the technology solutions proposed by the National Laboratories and to develop a national cyber-informed strategy to isolate the energy grid from attacks. Members of the working group would include federal government agencies, the energy industry, a state or regional energy agency, the National Laboratories, and other groups with relevant experience.

• Require the Secretary of Energy to submit a report to Congress describing the results of the program, assessing the feasibility of the techniques considered, and outlining the results of the working groups’ evaluation.

• Define “covered entities” under the bill as segments of the energy sector that have already been designated as entities where a cyber-security incident could result in catastrophic regional or national effects on public health or safety, economic security, or national security.

See this recent blog fFor more information on steps you can take to identify your cybersecurity posture:

SECURITY TIP: SBAM SECURITY ASSESSMENT

Please contact us if you would like to explore ways to develop a plan for securing your digital assets.