System threats and vulnerabilities [power system protection]

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and control systems are subject to vulnerabilities that did not exist prior to deregulation of the electric power industry. This is due to a variety of factors, including business needs brought on by deregulation and a movement toward using common operating systems and networking protocols for SCADA and control systems. The rise of organized criminal activity on the Internet and of national, covert, cyberoperations has compounded the threat. However, both the U.S. government and industry, sometimes in partnership and sometimes independently, are working to mitigate these vulnerabilities and provide the means to secure our infrastructure.