Locals should prepare for power outage of weeks, not days, caused by cyber or other grid threats

Cauley agreed that it would be wise for local governments to prepare for a power outage of one or two weeks, but he said he is more concerned about outages from weather-related disasters and

“I can’t imagine a cyberattack that would damage equipment [for] more than hours or days,” Cauley said.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) expressed concerns about the possibility of a cyberattack being used to alter delicate controls that impact how much electricity is generated and transmitted through the power grid, but Cauley said that he does not believe that is a threat that would create a widespread long-term outage.

“I have the privilege of going to very similar highly classified briefings, as well, but I also have 35 years of experience working in substations with equipment. I understand the threats of BlackEnergy, Aurora, Stuxnet or those types of things,” Cauley said. “It is very difficult to transform … surveillance-type behavior into an action that destroys a piece of equipment—technically, that’s very, very complex.”

Cauley noted that a cyberattack on an electricity provider’s corporate networks is a separate issue from a cyberattack that impacts the power grid.

“The damage on the information systems, that would be their [the electric provider’s] business risk,” he said. “But on the grid, it’s very difficult. It’s very unlikely to put the grid out for one to two weeks.”