Electric grid cyberattack: an AI-informed threat model

Abstract

Structured threat model examining how advances in AI could amplify the risk of cyberattacks against the US electrical grid, with damages potentially exceeding $100 billion. The author walks through technical attack pathways—including generator destruction and forced-oscillation resonance scenarios—and evaluates how current AI capabilities uplift attacker proficiency in reconnaissance, vulnerability exploitation, and autonomous operations. While arguing that such attacks remain highly improbable today, the piece contends that rapid AI capability gains warrant urgent attention from security professionals and policymakers. – AI-generated abstract.