There has been a tremendous amount of hype and hyperbole around SCADA systems, the ‘ease of hacking’, and whether foreign attackers are already in our critical infrastructure causing chaos and failures. Many of those speaking the loudest simply don’t understand the topic enough to be authoritative. The North American electric grid is the largest and most complex machine ever built. To reduce the challenges it faces to a few buzz words and quotes is a gross oversimplification of an incredibly intricate problem. The largest risks to the overall safety and reliability of the electric grid are three-fold: natural, weather, vegetation, human.”]