As Storm Season Begins, Another Threat Looms: Hackers
A new bipartisan bill aims to help utilities detect and deflect cyberattacks in real time.
The power grid underpins our lives in ways we rarely think about—until it fails. Anyone who's lived through a storm outage knows the inconvenience: uncharged phones, spoiled food, homes that are too hot or too cold—and no real way to fix it. While technology and grid upgrades have improved reliability, there’s no way to stave off every act of nature.
But when hackers target energy infrastructure, the threat isn’t inevitable—it’s preventable. The repercussions of a cyberattack on the power delivery system can be deadly—and that precision is the point. A strike on a power plant or hospital doesn’t just cut the lights—it disrupts dialysis, emergency care, life support, and other critical, life-sustaining systems.
The threat is real. In 2024, U.S. utilities experienced a 70% surge in cyberattacks compared to the year prior. Experts warn that a coordinated assault could upend essential services and destabilize financial markets. In response, lawmakers are taking steps to shore up the nation’s energy defenses.
“Energy infrastructure is one of the most frequent targets for foreign adversaries and criminal organizations,” said Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) in a statement issued by his office.
Risch co-sponsored a bipartisan bill with Senator John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) aimed at giving energy providers earlier warnings and stronger intel—so they can act before systems are compromised. The legislation would establish a direct line of communication between utilities, the Department of Energy, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and national intelligence networks.
“Our national security depends on a resilient and secure energy grid,” Sen. Hickenlooper said in a news release. “We need to address our vulnerabilities and modernize our grid to protect our energy future.”
It’s the kind of change that might have made a difference in 2021, when a ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline forced a six-day shutdown of the East Coast’s largest fuel artery—triggering panic buying and gas shortages across multiple states.
Just a year later, hackers targeted a water treatment facility in Oldsmar, Florida, attempting to poison the water supply by dramatically increasing sodium hydroxide levels—a breach only caught because a staffer happened to be watching the screen in real time. These attacks reveal just how quickly a cyber threat can escalate—and how unprepared even major operators can be when caught off guard.
That’s exactly the kind of vulnerability the Energy Threat Analysis Program Act aims to close. “This bill will streamline coordination between the energy sector and our federal partners to identify threats and protect our power systems,” Risch said. That means local providers—especially smaller or rural ones—could gain access to real-time threat data typically reserved for federal officials.
If passed, the bill could mark a pivotal shift in how the U.S. protects one of its most essential systems.