April 2024 – C.U.R.E.I.T Exercise
In April 2024, the ReCIPE coalition hosted its second exercise designed specifically for the municipal and cooperative electric energy space. Some adjustments were made to the format of the (C.U.R.E.I.T.) exercise based on participant feedback. The substantially similar design, continued to provide hands-on experiences and mutual aid awareness for defending electric grids against cyber threats. Once again there were two pre-exercise trainings conducted virtually to prepare those participating for the approach and content to be covered.
The Cyber United: Resilient Electric Infrastructure Training (C.U.R.E.I.T) exercise was designed to provide electric cooperatives and municipalities with hands-on experience and mutual aid awareness to defend against cyber threats to the power grid. The primary focus of the exercise was to teach participants about mutual assistance, attack concepts and associated mitigations through purple teaming, a cybersecurity approach that combines the skills and techniques of red (offensive) and blue (defensive) teams.
29 different organizations from six (6) different states (Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin) attended and participated in various capacities across the two-day exercise. The exercise was designed to be conducted within the ITI operational technology security research lab while simulating an electric grid environment under attack by threat actors. This included 21 exercise participants representing 20 different utility organizations (including investor-owned utilities, electric cooperatives, and municipal utilities) actively participated in the exercise. Individuals from partnering organizations were also in attendance as strategic observers. Those individuals represented PJM, the FBI, both the Illinois and Iowa National Guards, the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC), the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), and the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).
The second exercise also received outstanding feedback from participants and the ReCIPE coalition partners will consider the best way to move forward and secure funding to support these types of exercise in the future.