USEA publishes guide to help power sector bolster cybersecurity

The U.S. Energy Association (USEA) recently published a guide to help companies in the power sector deal with cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, and risks.

The Electricity Sector Cybersecurity and Digitalization Handbook was developed from a 17-part cybersecurity webinar series hosted by USEA’s Energy Utility Partnership Program (EUPP). It is intended to provide utility staff with information, recommendations, resources, and tools to help them initiate productive conversations with utility executives about cybersecurity. It is also relevant to energy sector regulators and government officials who provide utilities in their region with guidance, incentives, and funding to address cybersecurity.

“As we have all seen in recent news, the consequences of failing to ensure cybersecurity has dire consequences. It is not something that providers of a crucial service such as electricity can ignore,” Johanna Koolemans-Beynen, a USEA senior program coordinator who spearheaded the handbook’s creation, said. “Cybersecurity can seem like an expensive and complicated issue, but this handbook gives beginners tips to incorporate security measures into their systems and more advanced users pointers on next steps and how to resolve implementation problems.”

The handbook provides free resources, potential solutions, and ideas on how to get started in improving cybersecurity. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), it seeks to encourage USEA partners to integrate cybersecurity into the utility business process.

“This informative handbook is a prime example of how USEA’s partnership with USAID benefits and protects critical energy infrastructure. Cybersecurity is a crucial component of our industry, and USEA stands ready to promote a positive dialogue on the path forward. I sincerely thank our great team and their counterparts at USAID who made this handbook a possibility,” USEA Acting Executive Director Sheila Hollis said.