The group points out, correctly, that the grid is designed for brief bursts of high demand; most of the time there's lots of capacity that goes unused. Utilize thinks that should change. The group argues that smarter ways to use that capacity already exist. Utilize name checks a number of those solutions, including battery storage, demand response, and virtual power plants, all of which have emerged en masse over the last decade, but remain under utilized.
It called the attacks irresponsible, and if they succeeded in disrupting the country's power grid, it could have led to civilian deaths given the timing. "An attack on a power grid at any time is irresponsible, but to carry it out in the depths of winter is potentially lethal to the civilian population dependent on it," Dragos said. "It is unfortunate that those who attack these systems appear to deliberately choose timing that maximizes impact on civilian populations."