US wants to isolate power grids with ‘retro’ technology to limit cyber-attacks


The US is very close to improving power grid security by mandating the use of “retro” (analog, manual) technologies on US power grids as a defensive measure against foreign cyber-attacks that could bring down power distribution as a result.

The idea is to use “retro” technology to isolate the grid’s most important control systems, to limit the reach of a catastrophic outage.

“Specifically, it will examine ways to replace automated systems with low-tech redundancies, like manual procedures controlled by human operators,” said US Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who introduced the bill on the Senate floor in 2016.

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Source: ZDNet