As cyber threats grow, utilities say lapsed information-sharing law stymies security

Amid rising threats to operational systems and a chaotic geopolitical environment, electric utilities want Congress to cleanly reauthorize the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, which allows for greater information sharing between the power sector and federal government.

The law lapsed October 1. A temporary extension was included in the government funding bill, which failed and resulted in the current shutdown. A bipartisan Senate bill could bring CISA’s protections back into force.

It is vital that utilities are able to share threat information as the risks are rising, said Kristine Martz, a principal product advisor at cybersecurity firm Dragos. “Adversaries are becoming aware of the impact that they can achieve against easy to access industrial control systems,” or ICS, she said Friday at a conference hosted by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Read more at Utility Dive