NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — Every day, we’re relying more and more on the digital world.
This is especially true in our agriculture and energy sectors.

In today’s Eye on Ag & Energy, what’s being done to protect our critical assets and top industries?

Right now, the Department of Energy is focusing on one thing: Cyber-Informed Engineering. This can be defined as, the inclusion of cybersecurity considerations as a foundational element
of engineering risk management for any function aided by digital technology.

Many of our power plants in North Dakota and nationwide are controlled by computers.
Because of this, there needs to be more safety features set in place to protect our resources from cybercriminals.

One way these industries are protecting themselves is actually keeping the basics in place.
When it comes to energy specifically, the Department of Energy does not want us to be 100% reliant on computers. Adding that we need a manual drive for any “What If” scenario.

“This will revolutionize our approach to securing critical infrastructure and will ensure the reliable delivery of electricity and fuel to American homes and businesses,” said Director Puesh Kumar from the Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity.

According to the federal government, if our state or nation’s energy systems are compromised from a cyber-attack, then it can cripple our power grids, disrupt the economy and cost us billions.