full-disclosure - The Grid, Blaster v. Poor Security Engineering

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Message-ID: <E20DADCE7FEE6644A604B600D32338722B0BBB@windomain.appliedmessaging.com>
From: cherot at appliedmessaging.com (Christopher F. Herot)
Subject: The Grid, Blaster v. Poor Security Engineering

This editorial from three years ago was referenced in todays lead
article in the Wall Street Journal.

>From Electrical Construction & Maintenance, Aug 1, 2000 
http://ecmweb.com/ar/electric_plunged_darkness/index.htm

Plunged into Darkness

By Mike Eby, Editor-in-Chief

It's just a matter of time before it happens. We'll see it on the 6
o'clock news. The report will read something like this: The entire
eastern seaboard is still without power more than four days after the
electricity grid collapsed due to heavy power demands. As electric
utilities and transmission line owners struggle to restore power, city
and state officials wrestle with medical emergencies and civil unrest.
The President has declared a state of emergency and dispatched the
National Guard. Utility officials aren't sure when the system will be
restored.

Although this catastrophic event may sound a bit farfetched, don't
laugh; it could happen. We've already witnessed several severe blackouts
in Chicago and San Francisco recently. Why?

First of all, the nation's electricity grid wasn't designed for how it's
presently being operated. Today, transmission lines are regularly
exposed to excessive loading conditions, and system operators struggle
with curtailing load flows during emergency conditions. This stems from
the fact that electric utilities have suspended new line construction
projects, cut back on maintenance budgets, and reduced workforce levels
in response to utility deregulation. In fact, capacity margins on the
system are at an all-time low. If things don't change, we could easily
see more frequent blackouts. Is there a solution to this problem? It may
come in the form of a self-regulating reliability organization (SRRO).

One group that's trying to "keep the lights on" is The North American
Electric Reliability Council (NERC). NERC is a not-for-profit company
that was formed in response to the Northeast blackout in 1965 to promote
the reliability of the bulk electric systems serving North America. The
only way NERC can continue to provide a valuable service to the industry
is to transform itself into a new entity with enforcement powers. And
that's exactly where things are heading. NERC is trying to form an SRRO
that has the ability to promulgate and enforce mandatory reliability
standards, with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
providing oversight. Its proposal reached a milestone on June 30 when
the Senate passed S. 2071&#8211;The Electric Reliability 2000 Act. NERC
hopes that with Senate approval, the House and Administration will also
see the importance of enacting this reliability legislation and act
promptly. The bill is supported by a broad coalition of industry
participants and state agencies.

At this point, we can only hope that NERC's efforts pay off. Until then,
my advice to you is keep that on-site power system well maintained!