Developing a cybersecurity risk management strategy would improve the Department of Energy’s (DOE) efforts to manage cybersecurity risks and protect the nation’s electric grid, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its latest annual priority recommendations report to the agency.
GAO outlined 26 priority recommendations for DOE that fall into eight focus areas – including improving cybersecurity.
“The energy sector is part of the nation’s critical infrastructure that provides essential services that underpin American society,” GAO noted in the report. “Recent high-profile cyberattacks targeting the public and private sectors highlight the urgent need to address cybersecurity weaknesses.”
The first open recommendation directs the Energy Secretary to consult with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and other sectors to develop methods for determining the level and type of cyber framework adoption by entities across their respective areas.
According to GAO, DOE neither agreed nor disagrees with the recommendation. But in early 2022, DOE did take initial steps to determine framework…
