By Terry James
SPRINGFIELD – Nearly all public utilities are connected to the internet and the Illinois Commerce Commission wants to keep those utilities safe from cyber attacks.
Commissioner Sherina Edwards says a cyber security Policy Session was recently held to gauge the cyber vulnerabilities that exist in the Nation’s critical utility infrastructure, including electricity, gas, water and telecommunications.
“Cyber hackers and cyber terrorists as we call them they have the technology behind them to get into systems that was just not accessible 30 or 40 years ago,” said Edwards.
Edwards says the hackers know how much we rely on those utilities and they must be stopped.
Late last year 225-thousand Ukranian residents were left without power because of a cyber attack.
The Illinois Commerce Commission recently held the cyber security Policy Session as a way to gauge the cyber vulnerabilities that exist in the Nation’s critical utility infrastructure, including electricity, gas, water and telecommunications.
Terry James can be reached at terry@wjbc.com.
