Forget hackers: Squirrels are a bigger threat to America's power grid

Who needs fancy military-grade equipment when nimble legs and sharp incisors will do?

Squirrel
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Gary Tramontina))

While American lawmakers and security officials repeatedly warn of a catastrophic cyberattack that will cripple the nation's power grids, in reality, squirrels and tree branches are proving more troublesome than hackers when it comes to actual power outages.

According to numerous reports and headlines: America's power grid is "too vulnerable to cyberattack;" thousands will die if terrorists attack the grid; cyber attacks could keep America in the dark for nine to 18 months; and electric companies face "daily" cyber attacks, which over a month can build to 10,000.

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Eugene K. Chow is a speechwriter and freelance journalist. He is the former executive editor of Homeland Security NewsWire. Previously, he was a research assistant at the Center for A New American Security, a Washington-D.C. based think tank.