Green push presents cybersecurity problems of its own
The shift to cleaner energy forebodes greater cybersecurity challenges as the economy adds new technologies and relies increasingly on electricity to fuel vehicles and heat homes.
The cyberattack that forced the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline exposed vulnerabilities of existing oil and gas infrastructure. But there are also risks of transitioning from a bulk fossil-fuel dependent system to one that’s decentralized with additional points of contact.
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While the attack on the Colonial Pipeline, responsible for 45% of fuel to the East Coast, had a devastating effect, President Joe Biden’s goals of electrifying vehicles, buildings, and homes, which would expand how much power the economy uses, means a hack of the grid could cause far-ranging damage.
“The danger of electrifying everything is the unbelievable spread of electricity to every aspect of daily life means the consequences of losing electricity becomes overwhelming,” said Amy Myers Jaffe, director of Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University Fletcher School and author of the new book Energy's Digital Future.