Feds push stronger cyber protections at nuclear sites

The federal government is moving to impose new cybersecurity requirements on nuclear facilities.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is taking steps to strengthen the existing physical protections at the sites to guard against hacking threats. The steps include the installation of new safeguards for certain fuel cycle sites that house potentially dangerous nuclear materials, as well as protections for uranium conversion and deconversion facilities.

The agency released a regulatory basis document Monday that will lay the groundwork for future rulemaking. A proposed rule on the cyber security of nuclear facilities is expected to follow in the coming months.

The cyber security requirements would provide a “high assurance that digital computer systems, communication systems, and networks associated with safety, security, emergency preparedness, and material control and accounting functions are protected from cyber attacks,” the agency wrote in the Federal Register.

The regulatory basis document is available immediately.