How you can be a key ally in protecting Minnesota's critical infrastructure from attacks
MINNEAPOLIS – In Minnesota and the United States, emergency managers identify 16 categories of critical infrastructure that are considered so vital to society that their destruction or interruption would have a debilitating effect on Americans.
Among them are transportation, finance, communications and energy, with the latter making national headlines for its vulnerabilities after vandals attacked two substations in North Carolina last year.
Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy declined our requests to speak on camera, but sent us statements promising both "comprehensive" security plans and "resilience" in how they respond to emergencies. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, provide strategic guidance.
Here's what's interesting about all these physical pieces of infrastructure we're talking about. The biggest threat isn't to the physical spaces. It's what's going on behind the scenes. That's why in Minnesota and beyond, cyber defenses are critical.
John Israel is Minnesota's chief information security officer at Minnesota IT Services. He took us inside the almost-finished security operations center, coming back online soon after going virtual for COVID.
"The biggest piece about cyber in my opinion is the unknown. It's a constantly-evolving threat," Israel said.
In 2022, the number of detected or reported cyber threats reached at least 745, including dozens at county governments, schools, universities and municipalities.
"Generally it's about money. It's about what's valuable that they can access and collect to monetize," he said. "Additionally, we see attempts to disrupt. A message they're trying to send government, or just somebody who's trying to stir the pot."
The state secures data and information belonging to 5.7 million Minnesotans.
Last year, Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order requiring all state agencies to improve cyber defenses.
Officials say we can all play a part in that by using strong passwords and multi-factor authentications.