The CHELCO Grid vs. Cyber Threats in our current age

In this global landscape, at CHELCO, we understand that there will be adversaries of the United States. These adversaries will do anything from physical attacks that damage buildings and property to online attacks on internet resources and computer systems.

Here at CHELCO, the concerns are no different and we prepare for these occasions. CHELCO and its partners design and maintain the energy grid for our service territory with intelligent engineering and construction to ensure that it is not overly dependent on technology and that potential attackers and intruders cannot abuse the technology in place via cyberspace and the internet.

How does CHELCO achieve this?

By adhering to several standards laid out by the government and the Department of Defense, CHELCO works to provide service to the local base under a 50-year utility privatization (UP) contract. The government establishes these standards to protect its data and resources sufficiently. Some of the measures that CHELCO follows are created by NIST, DOE, NERC, and FERC regulations. Simply speaking, CHELCO separates systems, computers, and networks logically to ensure that no one system can control them all and that no one person can be a point of failure or compromise. Workers can only access items and technologies that are required for their jobs; any outside vendors are thoroughly vetted, and background checks are run to ensure their eligibility to work on our systems. 

In addition to procedural ways to protect the network, CHELCO employs a variety of tools such as Web Filters, VPNs, Multi-factor, Firewalls, Anti-Virus, and Endpoint response tools to help protect each person and system level. These tools are required and provided to all employees to help reduce the possibility of compromise and increase security.

So please rest knowing that CHELCO is not ignoring the threats on the cyber landscape and that there is a plan to not only actively work against the threat but also to restore or fight the threat when and if it arrives.