IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

Critical infrastructures are certain physical assets, functions, and systems that facilitate the production and distribution of our nation’s goods and services that we depend on every day, such as power distribution, water supply, and telecommunications. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has divided our nation’s critical infrastructures and key resources into 18 sectors. As computer technology has advanced, so has the dependence on computerized industrial control systems to monitor and control equipment that supports modern critical infrastructures. Malicious code that alters these control systems has the potential to inflict serious – even lethal – damage. ...