The energy sector in the United States is a crucial part of our country. Everything we do is reliant on the energy sector. A stable energy sector ensures our health and welfare are not threatened. It is the backbone of the United States economy. The energy sector is broken down into three different segments. They are electricity, oil, and natural gas. Just over 80% of the United States’ energy infrastructure is privately owned and operated (Dept. of Homeland Security). This sector oversees powering our homes, hospitals, and schools as well as fueling our cars, trains, and planes. The availability and uptime of energy is crucial to the stability and prosperity of our country. This is why the energy sector is considered a critical infrastructure. …show more content…
Since much of this sector is privately owned the concern was mainly about profits. As technology advanced our dependence on the energy sector grew exponentially. However, the security of these networks did not match the rate of our dependence on them. In the 21st, century cyber-attacks have become commonplace. Many industrial devices in the energy sector are monitored using Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) devices. SCADA systems can connect many facilities and devices together. For example, they can monitor and control oil or gas pipelines. They are designed to be easily operated and easy to use but they were not made with security in mind. The most concerning part about SCADA systems is that they are used to control and monitor physical process and movements. Security of SCADA systems is extremely important because the vulnerabilities in these systems could cause physical destruction that can potentially have a devastating impact on …show more content…
Buildings, homes, hospitals, transportation, roadways, tunnels, computers, lights, and tools all have one thing in common; electricity is powering their usage. Without power, our country would not be able to survive. To make matters worse, the current power infrastructure is extremely vulnerable.
There are three ways to mitigate these vulnerabilities or reduce the likelihood of a catastrophic event: physical, personnel, and technical security. Physical security is the means of protecting buildings, hardware, people, and networks, from damage, theft, sabotage, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and fires. Personnel security is the means of structure within an organization by enforcing rules and regulations with policies and procedures. Technical security is the means of electronic protection, detection, and prevention within computers, phone, servers, and other devices.

Physical
Physical security would benefit from increased surveillance, patrols/guards, replacing older doors and walls with more secure versions, and installing newer and better locking mechanisms. In restricted areas, multifactor authentication such as biometrics and keypads should be installed and sensors should be placed to detect movement or activity. Lights with greater lumens, light radius, and visibility should be installed to provide the greatest viewing area and thwart off