The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) provides information and tools to help agencies enhance the cybersecurity posture of federal facilities, specifically focusing on operational technology (OT).
What Is Operational Technology?
Operational technology (OT) is hardware and software that can detect or cause a change through direct monitoring and/or controlling physical equipment, devices, processes, and events. If compromised, OT technologies could have both cyber and physical impacts. As facilities move from analog systems to connected OT, the risk of a disruptive cyberattack grows, requiring facilities to assess and enhance their cybersecurity posture.
Federal Laws and Policies
Federal laws and policies require federal agencies to enhance their cybersecurity posture, including:
- Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014
- Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020
- Executive Orders
- 13636: Improving Critical Infrastructure (2013)
- 13800: Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure (2017)
- 14028: Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity (2021)
Need Technical Assistance?
Visit the FEMP Assistance Request Portal to submit your question related to facility or distributed energy resource cybersecurity.
How FEMP Helps
FEMP assists by:
- Developing free assessment tools to check cybersecurity policy and posture across a variety of facility-related control systems and distributed energy resources
- Providing training on FEMP tools and information resources
- Offering technical assistance to federal agencies on cybersecurity topics
- Convening stakeholders across the federal government to discuss common challenges and best practices
Cybersecurity Assessment Tools
FEMP's cybersecurity program provides self-assessment tools for both facility-related control systems and distributed energy resources cybersecurity.
Videos
Facility Cyber Tool Suite
The Facility Cyber Tool Suite helps federal facilities enhance the cybersecurity of operational technology specifically tailored to address key facility-related control systems.
Facility Cybersecurity Framework Training Game
The Facility Cybersecurity Framework helps facility owners and operators manage their cybersecurity risks in the operational technology systems.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Distributed Energy Resource Cybersecurity Framework (DER-CF) provides federal agency sites with a tool to assess the cybersecurity posture—or health—of their distributed energy resource systems.
The MEEDS tool helps facility owners and operators detect whether their systems are inadvertently exposed to the public internet and discover any vulnerabilities.
Key Resources
Need Assistance?
Need help finding a document or tool? FEMP can help. Ask FEMP a question.