Part 3/5:
While the civilian retail sector faces hacking threats primarily for economic reasons, the power grid is viewed as a critical infrastructure with national security implications. There are concerns about state-sponsored cyber actors possessing the capability not only to monitor but also to potentially manipulate or disrupt power supplies at will.
This raises the possibility that, in a hostile scenario, adversaries can turn off electrical power or cause instability intentionally. Such actions could have cascading effects on hospitals, communication systems, transportation, and entire economies. The tiered vulnerability of these systems underscores their strategic importance.