The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) has announced three new research programs “to safeguard the U.S. energy system from growing cyber and physical hazards”.
CESER said its new portfolio will ramp up protections by addressing potential global supply chain security vulnerabilities, protecting critical infrastructure from electromagnetic and geomagnetic interference, and building a research and talent pipeline for next-generation cybersecurity.
According to CESER, the United States’ critical energy infrastructure faces a steady stream of evolving threats, from foreign cyber-attacks, to changing climate and natural hazards such as wildfires and hurricanes.
“Our energy system faces unprecedented threat levels from hackers, foreign actors, and natural catastrophes supercharged by climate change – which is why enhancing security is a priority for this administration,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in a government statement.
“What’s more, President Biden’s clean energy goals all depend on resilient electrical infrastructure. These new programs will help put us a step ahead of all manner of threats so we can provide safe, reliable power to American households,” Granholm added.
Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., the chairman of the house energy and commerce committee, said, “foreign adversaries are taking new and aggressive tactics to…
