Thwarting Cyberthreats in the Power Sector

How Natural Events Can Pose a Bigger Threat Than Chinese Hackers, and Why Modern Internal Monitoring Is Now Essential for Defenders in the Power Sector Tony Morbin (@tonymorbin) • November 19, 2025

Brent Heyen and Mark Johnson-Barbier, cyber security architects at Salt River Project, and Ruston Johnson, global industry adviser for energy and utilities at Splunk, outlined the real-world threats facing the U.S. power grid. They explored how internal monitoring boosts security and aids regulatory compliance, as well as improves operational efficiency.

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Heyen, Johnson-Barbier and Johnson also discussed:

• Are Chinese threats like Salt Typhoon or natural events like Hurricane Melissa a bigger test of resilience?
• What are the key steps we need to take to keep energy grids and power plants secure?
• Beyond security and compliance, how can we use internal monitoring to boost efficiency?

Heyen oversees enterprise security design for ...