critical infrastructure threats News

Big Tech’s Data Center Boom Poses New Risk to Grid Operators

Data Center Alley, a 30-square-mile stretch outside Washington D.C. and home to more than 200 data centers, consumes roughly the same electricity as Boston. So power company officials were alarmed when a big chunk of those centers – 60 of …

Hacking Rooftop Solar Is a Way to Break Europe’s Power Grid

All it takes is one hacker and a batch of faulty solar panels to threaten the safety of Europe’s electric grid. Vangelis Stykas, a cybersecurity consultant, said he figured out how to do it. Using a laptop and smartphone at …

Chinese Hackers Breached Eight US Telecom Providers, White House Says

Chinese hackers compromised eight American telecommunications companies as part of a wide-ranging espionage effort to gather intelligence about prominent US citizens, Biden administration officials said Wednesday. Anne Neuberger, deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for cyber …

Cyberattacks on US Utilities Surged 70% This Year, Says Research Firm

U.S. utilities faced a near 70% jump in cyberattacks this year over the same period in 2023, according to data from Check Point Research, underlining the escalating threat to a critical infrastructure. The utilities and power infrastructure across the U.S. …

Shooting of Power Equipment Linked to Power Outage in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Damage to a utility’s power equipment by gunfire found in Durham was associated with an outage that left hundreds of people without power earlier this week, the company said. About 730 people experienced a power outage …

EPA Says Water Utilities Need to Do More to Stop More Frequent Cyberattacks

Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation’s drinking water. About …

Extreme Weather Is Driving More US Power Outages, Studies Show

For decades, residents of eastern Queens in New York City have complained that they’re more likely to lose power when extreme weather hits, even as lights in other parts of the city stay on. A new study that looks at …

What Is Volt Typhoon, the Hacking Group the FBI Warns Could Deal a ‘Devastating Blow’?

China is developing the “ability to physically wreak havoc” on U.S. critical infrastructure and its hackers are waiting “for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Thursday. The comments were in relation …

European States Sign Pledge to Protect North Sea Infrastructure

Britain and other major European countries with maritime borders on the North Sea on Tuesday signed an agreement to work together to protect underwater infrastructure, including from possible Russian attacks. The six countries involved – Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Norway …

US Warns That Hackers Are Carrying Out Disruptive Attacks on Water Systems

The U.S. government is warning state governors that foreign hackers are carrying out disruptive cyberattacks against water and sewage systems throughout the country. In a letter released Tuesday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan …