The American network attack is waving on the horizon

When the lights He went out across the Iberian Peninsula in April, everything stops. Dozens of people were trapped in the underground metro system in Madrid. Hospitals in Lisbon were switching to emergency generators. Internet service is like Greenland and Morocco hostel.

Although the reason remains unclear, the actual damage of the Iberian power network – and the people they serve – were relatively simple. Less than 24 hours After the power outages start, electricity operators in the area were able to restore the network online.

Even if things could be much worse, the power outage was tantamount to an interesting reminder about how sudden things can reach a connection.

For years, cybersecurity professionals, boundaries, and government agencies warned that the malicious electronic attack on the US energy network may be destroyed. With extensive evidence that the state -sponsored piracy groups are looking for a very weak and decentralized energy network, the risk is more severe than ever.

An example of this: infiltrators, who think they are linked to the Chinese government, spent years Exploiting weaknesses In critical infrastructure across the mainland US and Spoiler To get access to their systems. The operations, called Volt Typhoon, could have been used, this access to closing or separating parts of the American power network – throwing millions in the dark. Fortunately, this effort was disrupted and security gaps. However, it is an interesting clarification of the really weak electrical system.

We know how such a penetration can appear. In 2015, Ukraine experienced The first large -scale electronic attack in the world on an electric network. The Russian Military Intelligence Unit is known as the name Sandworm Separate the different sub -stations from the central network and hundreds of thousands of people in non -connection mode.

The attack on Ukraine was quickly repaired, but cyber security experts have been warning for years that the next goal may be more destructive.

Unlike Ukraine, America does not have a single energy network – it contains three large connections, divided into a network of smaller regional systems, some of which extend to Canada. Most of the east is on one network, most of the west over another, while Texas and Alaska run their own interdependence. Maintaining the operation of these networks is a significantly complex effort: there are thousands of benefit operations, tens of thousands of sub -stations, and hundreds of thousands of high -voltage transport lines.

Photo: Michael Tessee