Article

2010-03-21 China-Japan-Koreas

Chinese paper: "Cascade-Based Attack Vulnerability on the U.S. Power Grid'

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Posted by gorb 2010-03-21 01:38|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 As background:

(1) Network science is a fairly new discipline. Barabasi and Albert published some foundational papers in network science in 1999. A lot of work has been done since using a variety of old and new mathematical tools. It's a hot topic to publish in.

(2) The I3P, a US government-private consortium, has been evaluating higher level policies and sponsoring research on topics such as the security of the control systems in the power grid from cyber attacks.

Posted by lotp 2010-03-21 06:59|| 2010-03-21 06:59|| Front Page Top

#2 Wang was not researching or planning an attack on the US (or it would not have been publicly publshed) but pursuing a more broadly useful branch of study. I have no doubt though that he has countrymen who ARE specifically studying how to take out the US power grid. And we are probably studying similar topics for similar reasons. And like Wang says, understanding the vulnerabilities is key to understanding the defense - against malicious or natural 'attacks'.

Posted by Glenmore 2010-03-21 08:45|| 2010-03-21 08:45|| Front Page Top

#3 Distributed Grid with more local (neighborhood etc) power generation is safer from attack!
To top it off - %75 of the power is lost in transmission so we save energy with local generation on a massive scale.

Posted by 3dc 2010-03-21 09:00|| 2010-03-21 09:00|| Front Page Top

#4 All the "Not In My Backyard" idiots will soon get to experience the noise and smell of their very own otto-cycle generator.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2010-03-21 10:32|| 2010-03-21 10:32|| Front Page Top

#5 Public paper, this is much ado about little. Frankly public papers about general vulnerabilities are fine, and if it helps in fixing them, they should actually send a thank you letter. Less so for specific vulnerabilities, unless they dont fix it for a long time.

Why is the beginning of this article so strongly worded and the end less so? Is this article trying to spin and then back itself up to say it isn't?

Posted by Jasper 2010-03-21 11:23|| ojasper.nl 2010-03-21 11:23|| Front Page Top

#6 It is helpful that they published this so that any problems can be addressed. Not that I think the Chinese are allies but they do have a lot of interrelated economic issues that would make collapsing the US powergrid painful to them as well as us. Perhaps this is their way of (a) getting us to fix the problem (b) Embarrassing some Americans at the same time without really causing problems.

Posted by rjschwarz 2010-03-21 13:24|| 2010-03-21 13:24|| Front Page Top

#7 I have no doubt though that he has countrymen who ARE specifically studying how to take out the US power grid. And we are probably studying similar topics for similar reasons.

One Dam, one BIG physics package...say in the 1 to 4 megaton range. BOOM!

Posted by Secret Asian Man 2010-03-21 14:26|| 2010-03-21 14:26|| Front Page Top

#8 SAM - you don't need anything like that big a boom. They have had enough soil and rock stability problems without any booms at all - shouldn't take much to set the equivalent of a tsunami going in that lake, and I doubt the dam would stand up to it. That said - there is still a whole lot of China that would not be severely affected - how much would Boston be affected by the collapse of Hoover Dam, for instance?

Posted by Glenmore 2010-03-21 15:25|| 2010-03-21 15:25|| Front Page Top

#9 G, yeah, I figured that was way overkill. But hey, anything worth doing is worth doing well. Sure, it would leave a vast bulk of China untouched, but the psychological value of the hit would be devastating. Interesting times we live in.

Stupak folds.

God Bless America!

Posted by Secret Asian Man 2010-03-21 18:02|| 2010-03-21 18:02|| Front Page Top

#10 I hate to derail a good argument, but Power grids are NOT interconnected.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2010-03-21 18:16|| 2010-03-21 18:16|| Front Page Top

#11 they should actually send a thank you letter.

Ah, everyone in the donk regime in Washington is too busy trying to figure out how to complete the bankruptcy of the U.S. When we need weapons to defend ourselves, we can always borrow the money from China or outsource production to China.

Posted by JohnQC 2010-03-21 19:43|| 2010-03-21 19:43|| Front Page Top

#12 To top it off - %75 of the power is lost in transmission

It's 7-8%. It's higher now than 30-40 years ago (5%) because of NIMBYs forcing power plants further from consumers. Which also prevents the waste heat from being being used for district heating and cooling.

Posted by ed 2010-03-21 19:50|| 2010-03-21 19:50|| Front Page Top

#13 ION NEWS SKERAALA > RUSSIA NEEDS 50 NEW N-SUBS TO COUNTER US, UK FLEETS [ + now rising Chin PLAN], to add to 60 RussNav FBM, SSK + Multi-functional Subs already in its fleet.

* SAME/ TIMES OF INDJUH > REPORT:JAPAN WANTS 14 NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS. ENERGY-POOR NIPPON desires to reduc its national dependency on ener imports.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-03-21 19:55|| 2010-03-21 19:55|| Front Page Top

#14 NEWS KERALA > EXPERT: UK "UNDER-RESOURCED TO FIGHT A WAR WITH IRAN [NOR ANYONE ELSE, be it singly or in coalition].

ARTIC > Same Pert argues the best Britannia can do in time being is to NUKE 'EM FROM THE GETGO.

* PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > RUSSIAN MEDIAS: CHINA TRYING TO BECOME KEY IN CENTRAL ASIA [ anti-RUSS ECON INVESTMENTS, GEOPOLX VEE former Soviet -STANS].

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-03-21 20:01|| 2010-03-21 20:01|| Front Page Top

#15 IOW, to successfully fight + win a FALKLANDS WAR II, THE BRITAIN OF YEAR 2010 WOULD HAVE TO NUKE MADONNA = OWG EVA PERON + ARGENTINA.

D *** NG IT, DID 1960's = 1980's, PRE-OWG = POST OWG, ETC. MADONNA EVER MAKE A "DON'T GLOW/IRRRADIATE FOR ME, ARGENTINA" VIDEO???

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-03-21 20:07|| 2010-03-21 20:07|| Front Page Top

#16 Distributed Grid with more local (neighborhood etc) power generation is safer from attack!

A distributed grid or (gasp!) a reverse-flow grid in which people generate their own power and sell it back to the grid won't help our overlords in Washington DC control things very easily, will it?

Power=Power.

Centralized Power=Centralized Power.

Posted by Secret Master 2010-03-21 20:38|| 2010-03-21 20:38|| Front Page Top

#17 CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [famine]DEATH STALKS THE FROZEN LAND OF GENGHIS KHAN. UNO delcares sttae of emergency for Mongolia.

ARTIC > HEALTHY SELECT ANIMALS are a form of MONGOLIAN HISTOR, ECON, CULTURAL "CURRENCY" + HENCE WEALTH, CREDIBILITY. APPROXI TWO MILYUHN ANIMALS HAVE REPOR DIED THIS PAST WINTER WID ANUTHER TWO MILYUHN AT RISK OF SAME.

IOW, the DEATH OF THEIR CHERISHED ANIMALS = SEEMING WRATH-Of-GOD/KHAN" "APOCALYPSE" FOR ORDINARY MONGOLIANS???

+ VARIOUS > SEVERE DROUGHT STILL RAVAGES SW CHINA/YUNNAN PROVINCE.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-03-21 20:56|| 2010-03-21 20:56|| Front Page Top

23:17 gorb
23:11 newc
22:51 3dc
22:49 trailing wife on the other computer
22:48 newc
22:45 gorb
22:44 gorb
22:40 trailing wife on the other computer
22:38 Asymmetrical Triangulation
22:35 Asymmetrical Triangulation
22:35 Phart tse Tung8807
22:34 Barbara Skolaut
22:28 whatadeal
22:23 Asymmetrical Triangulation
22:14 JosephMendiola
22:07 Silentbrick
21:57 JosephMendiola
21:52 JohnQC
21:41 JohnQC
21:24 BigEd
21:17 trailing wife on the other computer
21:16 SteveS
21:03 JosephMendiola
21:03 rjschwarz