Critical Infrastructure Has a Critical Need

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Sept. 24 2023 | by: Solaren Risk Management

Critical Infrastructure Has a Critical Need. According to Homeland Security, critical infrastructure is defined as:

“The vast network of highways, connecting bridges and tunnels, railways, utilities and buildings necessary to maintain normalcy in daily life. Transportation, commerce, clean water and electricity all rely on these vital systems.”

What does that have to do with security?

Well, as of recently it has everything to do with us. The cyber-attack on the Colonial Pipeline in 2021 opened everyone’s eyes to the fact that there was insufficient security in place to protect our critical infrastructures. In Moore County, North Carolina, a couple of Duke Energy substations were fired on which resulted in severe damage and no power for some 45,000 people. In December of that same year, there was another substation attack in Pierce County, Washington resulting in $3 million worth of damage that will take an estimated three years to repair.

There is a concept of security for infrastructure in its infancy, but no physical security of critical infrastructure as the clear demand was not apparent until the attacks by these domestic terrorists.

Entire cities lose power and millions in damage and repairs, but everyone whose power goes out also loses Internet, refrigeration and more that impacts their quality of life. There needs to be a new drive to secure our community so that these attacks do not happen again. According to Forbes author Mathieu Gorge, “board-level decision-makers don’t yet have an organized pattern for addressing these concerns. They’re still figuring out who is responsible for the security structure of their organizations’ operational technology (OT) environments. This is due to a lack of knowledge about the ways in which informational technology (IT) and OT teams and policies interact within their organization.”

There needs to be a push in our security industry to help inform…

…these companies in the infrastructure industries about not only the potential dangers of attacks, but the consequences that each company and citizen will have to deal with when an incident happens. Security companies understand better than most other industries what the potential dangers are and where there needs to be a focus on proactive protection for both property and people. We at Solaren Risk Management believe that our mobile units from LiveView Technologies are the perfect solution. These units defend and deter at their designated sites with 24/7 live camera monitoring, floodlights and loudspeakers with customizable prerecorded messages. The number of personnel needed to cover all necessary parts of our critical infrastructire would be a near impossible undertaking, and your industry may not want the appearance or cost of actual guards, so these units are the perfect alternative as they are discreet and cost-effective.
For more information about our LVT mobile units and their customizable options, please visit www.solarenrm.com/quote/ today!

“We are safety aware because we care”

1.  Critical infrastructure. Critical Infrastructure | Homeland Security. (2023, January 12). here
2. Gorge, M. (2023, January 12). Author post: Critical infrastructure: Why it’s the new target for cybercriminals a discussion with Ian Bramson. Forbes. here
3. Physical attacks on Power Grid Surge to new peak. POLITICO. (n.d.). here
4. Tufts, S. (2023, July 6). Critical infrastructure attacks are ramping up. Security Magazine RSS. here

Tags: Critical Infrastructure, Homeland Security, Nashville News, Solaren Risk Management