Cyber Round Up: Obama Underestimated Cyber Threat, Electrical Grid Attack ‘Imminent’; The Bigger Issue with the Election Hacks

U.S. Grid in ‘Imminent Danger’ From Cyber-Attack, Study Says (Bloomberg):  A recent report from the Energy Department says what many already knew, the electrical grid is in danger.  An article recapping the report says it emphasized that cyber defenses were being deployed much slower than the constantly evolving, sophisticated threats.  An attack on the electrical grid could disable defense systems as well as jeopardize the health and safety of millions of citizens, the article said.  The report also discussed cyber for natural gas lines, and estimated that modernization of the grid could cost up to $500 billion.  The article can be read in its entirety here.

The Real Russian Hacking Story: A Nation Underdefended From Cyberattack (Forbes):  Commentary today addressed the Russian election hacks beyond the politicized headlines of recent weeks.   The post suggests that people need to look beyond the election specifically and instead consider the big picture regarding increased need for cyber defenses across the U.S.   The article points out that while news reports suggested the U.S. was capable of executing large scale cyber attacks in response to Russia’s interference, President Obama chose not to because of the United States’ vast number of vulnerabilities.  In short, cyber war would be worse for us than it would be for them.  The article suggests that U.S. changes have not been as broad or sweeping as they need to be to confront cyber-first nations like Russia.  The full post can be found here.