Protecting critical infrastructure has become a national security priority. On March 2, 2023, the Biden administration released the National Cybersecurity Strategy, a far-reaching document that sets forth its vision for the...more
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a request for information (RFI) on the new cyber incident reporting requirements for critical infrastructure owners as required by the Cyber Incident...more
Cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure systems are nothing new. But events over the last few years have been notable due to the seemingly increased frequency of successful attacks and the way those attacks have been...more
Virginia became the second state in the United States, after California, to pass a comprehensive data privacy law when the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA) passed both houses of the state legislature in February...more
6/15/2021
/ CDPA ,
Compliance Management Systems ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Data Controller ,
Data Management ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Electricity ,
New Legislation ,
Opt-Outs ,
Personal Data ,
Virginia
As has been reported, a recent ransomware attack has caused an interstate pipeline and fuel supplier to much of the eastern United States to shut down its operations. Although the attack did not compromise operational...more
5/13/2021
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Hackers ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
National Security ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Supply Chain
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on February 24 to address possible vulnerabilities in the supply chains of critical national economic sectors, including the energy sector. ...more
At its June 18 open meeting, FERC issued a notice of inquiry seeking public input on cybersecurity-related enhancements to the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) reliability standards. In light of the constantly...more
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on May 1 declaring that the use of bulk-power system equipment supplied by companies controlled by certain foreign nations poses an extraordinary threat to the US power grid....more
In an order issued on April 17, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) agreed to defer implementation of certain cybersecurity and operational reliability standards administered by the North American Electric...more
The US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued Version 3.0 of its guidance on April 17 on identifying essential critical infrastructure workers amid the coronavirus...more
Following the increased spread of COVID-19 within the United States, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) issued a Level 2 Alert on March 10 to all users, owners, and operators of the bulk-power system,...more
3/13/2020
/ Business Continuity Plans ,
Business Travel ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Electricity ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Emergency Response ,
Infectious Diseases ,
NERC ,
Operation & Maintenance ,
Public Health ,
Reliability Standards ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Stress Tests ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommuting ,
Workplace Safety
A cyberattack on a single gas compression facility resulted in the shutdown of a natural gas pipeline for two days, according to a recent alert from the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure...more
2/26/2020
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
Hackers ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Threat Management
Autonomous cars, sports betting, and CBD products have burst onto the scene, setting the stage for major developments in how companies do business and how regulators monitor new innovations....more
2/10/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Automotive Industry ,
Big Data ,
Bioengineering ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Final Rules ,
FIRRMA ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Foreign Investment ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Foods ,
National Security ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Plant Based Products ,
Recreational Use ,
Retail Market ,
Sports Betting ,
Sports Gambling ,
Standard Essential Patents ,
Taxation ,
USDA
At its open meeting on November 21, FERC announced organizational changes to enhance the agency’s focus on cybersecurity threats and challenges to electric infrastructure. Commission staff unveiled five “focus areas” related...more
FERC Staff issued an October 4 report on Commission-led critical infrastructure protection (CIP) reliability audits completed during fiscal year 2019. The report provides lessons learned and identifies voluntary practices...more
The supply chain risks facing electric utilities have long been a concern for industry stakeholders and regulators alike. Reflecting those concerns, NERC submitted a report on May 28 to FERC recommending the expansion of...more
The final rule reflects regulator concerns that the cyber threats facing electric utilities are largely underreported....more
A seven-figure penalty reported by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation demonstrates the potentially severe consequences for electric utilities related to improper data handling practices and underscores the...more
The proposal follows a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission finding that existing cyber threats to electric utilities are underreported....more
Implementing new statutory authority, FERC proposes revised regulations to secure and share Critical Electric Infrastructure Information and penalize its unauthorized disclosure....more