If cyberwar erupts, America's electric grid is a prime target

[Jedi Knight]

Cybersecurity experts say that targets in a cyberwar wouldn't be Hollywood studies but instead the nation's critical infrastructure, which is already under attack by hackers trying to infiltrate, study, and potentially cripple US utilities.http://news.yahoo.com/cyberwar-erupts-americas-electric-grid-prime-target-150319790.html What would it be like?

 

[church mouse guy]

They say that most of us would be dead after a few months. We are very dependent upon electricity for everything from pumping gas for our cars to food preparation and preservation, etc. My place uses a pump to pull water from a well and the pump is electric of course. I need electricity to distribute heat from my gas furnace, etc.

With the borders wide open, terrorists can walk in and attack the grid, as was done a year or two ago at San Jose when 19 high-powered rifle shots were fired into 19 transformers in an act of terrorism still not solved by police.

The good news is that Congress is finally aware of the problem and has agreed to look into it. The grid needs to be hardened no matter what.

Do we even manufacture transformers in this country anymore?

 

[SolaSaint]

I have always heard of this, but even if this happened can't the grid be repaired or rebuilt? This is what we do when a tornado or hurricane wipes out electrical systems? Sure we maybe down for a few months but I don't see the panic.

 

[RLBosley]

This is the biggest concern I have regarding Cyber warfare and our escalation with the DPRK and the PRC. It's only a matter of time until someone crashes our power infrastructure, and depending on what the hack does, we could be without power in most of the country for months if not years. It would be utter chaos.

Only slightly more terrifying is the loss of the grid to a Carrington style event rather than a hack. A hack can be stopped or reversed if caught in time by the right people, nothing really can stop a super solar storm and the accompanying CME.

 

[RLBosley]

Do we even manufacture transformers in this country anymore?

As I understand it, we do make the small ones you see on telephone poles and have some in storage for quick replacement, but the large power transformers found at substations are manufactured on an as needed basis due to their complexity and high cost. Here is a snippet from a DOE report:

LPTs are custom-designed equipment that entail significant capital expenditures and long lead times due to an intricate procurement and manufacturing process. Although the costs and pricing vary by manufacturer and by size, an LPT can cost millions of dollars and weigh between approximately 100 and 400 tons (or between 200,000 and 800,000 pounds). Procurement and manufacturing of LPTs is a complex process that requires prequalification of manufacturers, a competitive bidding process, the purchase of raw materials, and special modes of transportation due to its size and weight. The result is the possibility of extended lead times that could stretch beyond 20 months if the manufacturer has difficulty obtaining certain key parts or materials. Two raw materials—copper and electrical steel—account for over 50 percent of the total cost of an LPT. Electrical steel is used for the core of a power transformer and is critical to the efficiency and performance of the equipment; copper is used for the windings. In recent years, the price volatility of these two commodities in the global market has affected the manufacturing conditions and procurement strategy for LPTs.

Link - Opens the report in PDF

So, in the event of a major cyber attack that brings down the grid, I would say that the manufacturers certainly would have "difficulty in obtaining certain key parts or materials." Not to mention that the manufacturing industry itself would grind to a halt.

 

[blackbird]

Cybersecurity experts say that targets in a cyberwar wouldn't be Hollywood studies but instead the nation's critical infrastructure, which is already under attack by hackers trying to infiltrate, study, and potentially cripple US utilities.http://news.yahoo.com/cyberwar-erupts-americas-electric-grid-prime-target-150319790.html What would it be like?

Locally------yes-----electric power could possibly be knocked out--as seen in a local tornado, hurricane---some nutt cases who shoot at transformers with their high powered rifles(would probably need fire power along the lines of a .300 Magnum or better to do a good job of it)

But knocking out the nation wide grid------would take someone with an "Einstein" mentality to pull it off----there are probably very few folks who cross over the Rio Grande illegally who are capable of pulling such a thing off----Einsteins do not need to swim the Rio Grande illegally

:saint::saint:

 

[church mouse guy]

Locally------yes-----electric power could possibly be knocked out--as seen in a local tornado, hurricane---some nutt cases who shoot at transformers with their high powered rifles(would probably need fire power along the lines of a .300 Magnum or better to do a good job of it)

But knocking out the nation wide grid------would take someone with an "Einstein" mentality to pull it off----there are probably very few folks who cross over the Rio Grande illegally who are capable of pulling such a thing off----Einsteins do not need to swim the Rio Grande illegally

:saint::saint:

The people who did the trial run in San Jose could have entered from Mexico very easily.

"...in April 2013 a group of unknown individuals infiltrated a PG&E substation on the outskirts of San Jose, California, cut a series of underground fiber-optic cables then opened fire with high-powered rifles on seventeen high-voltage transformers. The assailants got away and have yet to be identified or apprehended...."

http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2014/07/17/power-failure/

 

[church mouse guy]

This is the biggest concern I have regarding Cyber warfare and our escalation with the DPRK and the PRC. It's only a matter of time until someone crashes our power infrastructure, and depending on what the hack does, we could be without power in most of the country for months if not years. It would be utter chaos.

Only slightly more terrifying is the loss of the grid to a Carrington style event rather than a hack. A hack can be stopped or reversed if caught in time by the right people, nothing really can stop a super solar storm and the accompanying CME.

"In fact, a blue-ribbon commission convened by the Congress to examine the
EMP threat concluded that, if the power went out and stayed off for more than a year in large parts of the United States—a prospect it found was plausible—as many as nine-out-of-ten Americans would perish."

This comes from the Center for Security Policy white paper on what the government knows but refuses to fix.

I think that we import the large transformers that you were talking about in your other post. Import them from China....​

 

[RLBosley]

"In fact, a blue-ribbon commission convened by the Congress to examine the
EMP threat concluded that, if the power went out and stayed off for more than a year in large parts of the United States—a prospect it found was plausible—as many as nine-out-of-ten Americans would perish."

This comes from the Center for Security Policy white paper on what the government knows but refuses to fix.

Yep. And in my opinion, it is inevitable. EMP, CME, hackers - somehow, it will happen.

I think that we import the large transformers that you were talking about in your other post. Import them from China....

Yes. We import some - not sure if specifically China, but we import everything else from them so why not...

But as I understand it we do have a few places that are at least capable of manufacturing them stateside. Though it's probably cheaper to import.