While utility enterprises are taking steps to detect and deter physical security threats, preventing damage and enabling recovery remain significant challenges, according to The State of Physical Grid Security 2015.

How can the U.S. strengthen the defense and resilience of critical water and electric infrastructure against cyber and physical attacks? 

University of Arkansas engineering researchers, will lead a new national center devoted to cybersecurity for electric power utilities.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has rejected a proposal to improve electric grid security, sending the proposal back to the North American Electric Reliability Corp. for revision. The group must strengthen its rules about how utilities should assess and protect power substations and systems, the ruling says.

An April attack on Silicon Valley’s phone lines and power grid was terrorism, according to former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Jon Wellinghoff said Wednesday. The FBI has released multiple statements that is has found no indications to support this claim, but Wellinghoff says he reached his conclusion after consulting with Defense Department experts about the attack, which involved snipping AT&T fiber-optic lines to knock out phone and 911 service, and firing shots into a PG&E substation, causing outages, an Associated Press article reports.

Disguised as authentic utility workers, a band of copper thieves dug up and stole nearly £280,000-worth of redundant cabling from locations all around London, many of which were leaked through at least one crooked BT employee.

Attempting to steal copper, man cuts into live wire and dies but also kills power to homeowners, too.

It is a matter of expenses when it comes to having a paramilitary force capable of defending against an armed assault using rocket propelled grenades and other heavy weaponry.