In an earlier
post, we wrote about a website that asks whether squirrels and
raccoons or cyberattacks are a bigger risk to the electricity grid.
Notwithstanding the humorous premise of that website, the reality
is that there likely are risks to Ontario's electricity grid
from cyberattacks. Very recently, there have been news articles (here and here) describing what is called the first
successful large-scale cyberattack on an electricity grid, which
caused a blackout for hundreds of thousands of people in the
Ukraine in December 2015.
On February 11, 2016, the Ontario Energy Board issued a Notice announcing a process to review
cyber-security of the electricity distribution grid and associated
business systems that could impact the protection of personal
information and grid security. This follows a questionnaire that the OEB had required all
distributors to complete, setting out how they manage risks
associated with cyber-security, including descriptions of
