Lawmakers fear power grid could fall to cyber attack

House lawmakers said at a hearing that they are worried that the country's electrical grid is vulnerable to a crippling cyberattack.

"Ask any expert in the national security field and see what keeps them up at night. They would probably tell you, as they tell me, that it is the increased possibility of a devastating cyberattack," said Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), the chairman of the House Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations subcommittee. "Imagine the impact of a cyberattack to the electrical grid: How many days could hospitals operate with on-site electricity generation? How would metro rail systems operate, if at all? How would we recharge our smartphones or access the internet?" he said. Many electrical networks now operate on "smart grid" technology, which relies on computers to determine electrical needs. The technology is more energy efficient, but makes the systems vulnerable to cyberattacks.