MSA Intel Alert: New Details on Shooting at California Power Station

A report released yesterday regarding a sniper attack at a California power station last April has renewed concerns about the power grid’s vulnerabilities. The attack, which occurred on April 16, 2013 at the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Metcalf facility in San Jose, did not receive widespread media attention until new details emerged this week. According to media sources, the incident began when at least one individual broke into a separate, underground vault and slashed AT&T telephone cables around 1:00am. Then, snipers opened fire at the PG&E substation, knocking out 17 of the 23 transformers that work to power the Silicon Valley. In total, the attack took 52 minutes. The company was able to avoid a blackout by rerouting power and asking consumers to conserve energy. It took 27 days for the facility to resume operations. No one has been arrested in connection to the attack.

There is disagreement among authorities as to whether the attack was an act of terrorism. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair at the time of the attack, Jon Wellinghoff, stated the attack was "the most significant incident of domestic terrorism involving the grid that has ever occurred." A former official at PG&E also stated that he feared it was a dress rehearsal for a larger event. However, the FBI reportedly does not think that it was related to terrorism and believes it was an isolated incident.

 

MSA's Research and Intelligence Analysis (RIA) Group has been monitoring this situation closely and has identified the following implications:

• The April 16 attack raises concern about the potential for, and danger of, an attack on the power grid. Although it is unclear who is responsible for the attack, the evidence shows that it was a professional operation. 
   
• There were no fingerprints on the shell casings and there were rock piles in the area, potentially indicating pre-arranged shooting positions. 
   
• It is possible that the attackers were testing the security infrastructure surrounding the site or police response time to the facility. 
   
• According to former CIA Director Jim Woolsey, a video from the incident demonstrates the professionalism and disciplined, military style of the attack. 
   
• Furthermore, it shows a group of three of four men, firing their weapons in a coordinated fashion. Following the shooting, they “quickly disposed of everything they had.”
   
• The attack highlights that the power grid is not only vulnerable to cyber threats, but also to physical attacks as important components are often exposed, guarded by unsophisticated security measures. 
   
• In the past, other physical incidents, such as downed trees, storms and wild animals, have caused prolonged blackouts, and a coordinated attack could be devastating. 
   
• According to the report, other companies in the industry reviewed and updated security efforts after hearing about the attack. 
   
• Additionally, a new program was launched by electric utilities to identify critical substations and to determine how to respond to an attack in terms of minimizing damage and reconfiguring the system. 
   
• The attack was launched one day after the deadly Boston Marathon bombing, drawing increased concern over whether the shooting is related to terrorism. 
   
• The incident highlights the importance of utilizing security threat assessments to determine facility vulnerabilities for critical infrastructure.