Greater than 370 organizations took half this week within the newest version of GridEx, the most important safety train devoted to the electrical energy {industry} in North America.
GridEx, which exams each the cyber and bodily safety of the facility grid, is organized each two years by the Electrical energy Data Sharing and Evaluation Middle (E-ISAC) of the North American Electrical Reliability Company (NERC).
In 2023, over 250 organizations took half in GridEx VII. This yr’s GridEx VIII noticed a rise of almost 50% within the variety of members, partly as a consequence of new participation choices offering enhanced accessibility.
GridEx VIII examined members’ emergency preparedness plans and protocols by means of a situation that mirrored real-world cyber and bodily threats.
A report detailing the teachings realized from GridEx VIII is anticipated to be launched within the first quarter of 2026.
“This yr, we noticed a 70 p.c enhance in participation by small- and medium-sized utilities and better participation from our Canadian companions, each of which had been suggestions from earlier train reviews,” stated Michael Ball, NERC senior vice chairman and E-ISAC chief government officer.
“Different vital infrastructure sectors, reminiscent of pure gasoline, water/wastewater, and telecommunications additionally engaged within the train. The rise in participation and these cross-border, cross-industry relationships displays a excessive stage of engagement and collaboration that helps our collective protection and total resilience,” Ball added.
It’s not unusual for cyber risk actors to focus on North American electrical utilities. In a single incident this yr, Canada’s Nova Scotia Energy was focused in a ransomware assault.Commercial. Scroll to proceed studying.
In one other assault that got here to mild this yr, China’s Volt Hurricane hackers breached a small public energy utility in Massachusetts and dwelled within the US electrical grid for 300 days.
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