Tech

US uncovers “Swiss Army knife” for hacking industrial control systems

Enlarge (credit: cravetiger | Getty Images) Malware designed to target industrial control systems like power grids, factories, water utilities, and oil refineries represents a rare species of digital badness. So when the United States government warns of a piece of code built to target not just one of those industries, but potentially all of them, […]

Tech

PG&E likely sparks another massive fire, pledges to bury 10, 000 miles of power lines

Enlarge / Power lines are cast in silhouette as the Creek Fire creeps up on on the Shaver Springs community off of Tollhouse Road on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 in Auberry, CA. (credit: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times ) It took a string of deadly fires, criminal convictions, a messy bankruptcy, and a multibillion-dollar […]

Tech

Deep in the heart of a collapsing power grid

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty Images) Texas is now entering its third day of widespread power outages and, although supplies of electricity are improving, they remain well short of demand. For now, the state’s power authority suggests that, rather than restoring power, grid operators will try to shift from complete blackouts to rolling ones. […]

Tech

Trump’s Clean Power Plan replacement gets thrown out by a court

Enlarge / DUNKIRK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – 2016/10/09: A NRG owned coal fired energy facility that plans to convert to a natural gas facility. (credit: John Greim / Getty Images) Today, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia vacated the Trump administration’s attempt to take a minimalist approach to the regulation […]