The Cybersecurity Stakes of the Energy Transition

Columbia Energy Exchange

The energy transition is transforming how we power our world – clean energy systems are becoming more interconnected, automated, and reliant on digital infrastructure. But with this transformation comes a new vulnerability: cyberattacks. As our grid becomes smarter and our system more digitized, the potential for disruption grows.

Earlier this year, the FBI warned of a serious threat that Chinese hackers had infiltrated U.S. critical infrastructure systems, raising the possibility of a “devastating blow” to energy and other vital services.

The stakes are clear. As we move forward with the energy transition – and increasingly digitizing and electrifying our systems – we are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks.

This week, host Jason Bordoff speaks with Harry Krejsa about the cybersecurity risks at the intersection of operational technology and information technology in the clean energy transition, the destructive capabilities of China and Russia on American critical infrastructure, and what we should be doing about it.

Harry is the director of studies at the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology. He was previously in the Biden White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director. There, he led development of the Biden-Harris administration’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, established national clean energy security priorities, and represented the U.S. government in technology security consultations with foreign partners and the global private sector.

Prior to that, Harry worked at the intersection of technology, industrial strategy, and U.S.-China competition for the Department of Defense, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, and the Center for a New American Security.