President Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency over the US bulk-power system and banning the acquisition or installation of foreign-made technology used to manage power, on the basis that certain foreign actors are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in it, potentially through digital backdoors that allow remote access, control or supply-chain disruption. The order covers equipment for transmission lines rated 69,000 volts or higher, substations, control rooms, generating stations and reactors, plus associated software and firmware; Defence, Commerce and Energy must review transactions, agencies have 120 days to publish implementing rules, and a list of pre-qualified equipment and vendors will follow. It arrives after attacks on US water utilities attributed to Iran across at least 12 states and a reported Iranian hack that shut down a small UK power plant.

Source

• The Record
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