Security News > 2020 > May > New Executive Order Aims to Protect U.S. Power Grid From Backdoored Equipment
A new executive order signed on Friday by U.S. President Donald Trump prohibits the acquisition of bulk-power system equipment that could contain intentional backdoors planted by foreign adversaries.
Incidents where threat actors targeted a country's power grid and even caused disruptions are not unheard of, and even the United States reportedly targeted Russia's grid in such attacks.
The U.S. government appears to be concerned that foreign adversaries could be trying to plant malicious or vulnerable equipment in the country's power grid.
That is why the latest executive order prohibits the acquisition of bulk-power system electric equipment that is designed, developed, manufactured or supplied by an entity that is "Controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary."
After the executive order was signed, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response posted a tweet saying that "Malicious actors have sought to leverage unauthorized access to the bulk power system against the U.S.for over a decade."