Lights out
by Ted Koppel · first published 2015
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Imagine a blackout lasting not days, but weeks or months. Tens of millions of people over several states are affected. For those without access to a generator, there is no running water, no sewage, no refrigeration or light. Food and medical supplies are dwindling. Devices we rely on have gone dark. Banks no longer function, looting is widespread, and law and order are being tested as never before. It isn't just a scenario. A well-designed attack on just one of the nation's three electric power grids could cripple much of our infrastructure--and in the age of cyberwarfare, a laptop has become
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…has been damaged, physical attacks on electrical infrastructure may take months to repair. There are a number of books that address risks to the grid. The one I specifically recall was by Ted Koppel, Lights Out: A Cyberattack: A Nation Unprepared: Surviving the Aftermath though there are several others listed here: <https://shepherd.com/best-books/electrical-grid-vulnerabilit...> By one account, attacks on…
on “Someone shot at substations in North Carolina, knocking out power for thousands” ↗This recent USA Today article claims our grid is attacked every three to four days: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/03/24/power-grid-ph... As mentioned in another comment, Ted Koppel's book "Lights Out" is a really fascinating read on the threat.
on “Power Outages Coincide in LA, New York, and San Francisco” ↗Ted Koppel wrote a book about this subject (of our grid’s vulnerability in general) called “Lights Out”. Because it’s Ted Koppel, he had access to some top level officials for interviews. He came away super concerned that no one had any great answers. It was a pretty good read!
on “How prepared are we for the next giant solar flare?” ↗…incident management, technical and industry security <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/613a195bd3bf7...> (PDF) The US electric grid has also been of significant concern. Ted Koppel's book Lights Out (2015) addressed this specificly: <https://news.wttw.com/2015/11/09/ted-koppel-americas-vulnera...> As an example of non-military focus, the present US national security policy leads with ... tourist…
on “London's Heathrow Airport announces complete shutdown due to power outage” ↗Ted Koppel (retired new anchor) began research for a book on this subject after retiring; the book, titled "Lights Out" was published late last year, i believe. Two things about this book were remarkable to me--one was the exhaustive research; the second was a remark from Koppel in the book (i don't recall the exact words…
on “The Threat to Americas Electrical Grid Is Bigger Than Imagined” ↗Sounds interesting! Would this be the Ted Koppel one? There seem to be a bunch of books called "Lights Out".
on “Globalisation is a far, far bigger deal than you think” ↗…There are many small batch parts that the US could manufacture, but companies aren’t interested. There are also those items which they no longer have the capacity to make, or deliver. Ted Koppel’s book Lights Out gives examples of long lead time items that can’t be made in the US and we also lack the ability to deliver them because the necessary infrastructure is no longer there
on “Why does the U.S. always run a trade deficit?” ↗