MEDIA ADVISORY: Cybersecurity CEO Paul Myer Available for Comment on Latest Reports of North Korean Threats to the U.S. Power Grid

ALISO VIEJO, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 16, 2017) -

• Oct. 9, security firm FireEye said that it had "detected and stopped" spear phishing emails sent in late September to U.S. electric companies, persumably for the purpose of exploiting operational weaknesses and distruption of service.
  
  
• Last month, security software firm Symantec Corp. reported that Russian hackers gained access to operational networks of "dozens" of U.S. energy companies.
  
  

Expert comment:

• Paul Myer, CEO of California-based Veracity Industrial Networks, a developer of software designed to protect critical infrastructure such as electric power plants and grids, is available for comment.
  
  
• Myer has previously made the following comment:
  
  

The pace and severity of these breaches are increasing over time, and grid operators worldwide are working to shore up their security posture in response.

Due to common design patterns and devices used in infrastructure systems, critical systems of all kinds are at increased risk to these attacks, including: nuclear and more traditional power generation, distribution and transmission; water/waste water; building management systems; and transportation infrastructure. 

These critical systems have been extensively automated over the past 10 years, but the necessary security tools have not kept pace, leaving them vulnerable to misconfiguration and targeted cyberattacks by bad actors.