US Working to Protect Electric Grid from Cyberattacks

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is taking steps to protect the country’s electric system from cyberattacks through a new 100-day initiative combining federal government agencies and private industry. The initiative was announced Tuesday by the Energy Department. It encourages owners and operators of power plants and electric utilities to bolster their capabilities for identifying cyber threats to their networks. It includes concrete milestones for them to put into use technologies so they can spot and respond to intrusions in real time. The effort underscores the heightened concern about the prospects for cyberattacks that disrupt the nation’s power supply. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says it's up to government and industry “to prevent possible harms.”