The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners has released a set of cybersecurity baselines to help strengthen the security of electric distribution systems and distributed energy resources infrastructure.
The cybersecurity baselines were developed based on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s cybersecurity performance goals under a new initiative funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, DOE said Thursday.
“Americans want to know our electricity systems are safe and cyber secure. And companies want uniform expectations when it comes to cybersecurity,” said Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser and a two-time Wash100 awardee.
“The Department of Energy and NARUC have taken the first step to achieving both, with the release of these cybersecurity baselines,” Neuberger added.
In a separate announcement, NARUC said it will begin Phase 2 implementation of the cybersecurity baselines initiative by the end of 2024 to help operators prioritize assets to which the baselines might apply and set the order of implementation based on cyber risk assessments.