Having backups for electrical power would be a wise move for CRE properties in a world where extreme weather, work stoppages, and other factors can cut off service. But one of the forces that can bring down utility is direct action, whether that is accidental or intentional.

There have been terrorist attempts to bring down electrical systems for decades. In 2001, someone tried to breach the computer system at the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), CNN reported. The people behind the attack started in late April and weren't detected until the second week of May. No serious damage was done — a good thing because the state was undergoing widespread rolling blackouts without any help.

It's an old story, but far from isolated. In 2005, criminals targeted the computer networks of multiple power companies and the federal government warned them to beef up their security, the Washington Post reported. In 2009, the Wall Street Journal wrote about cyberspies penetrating the national electrical grid. Cyberattackers again in 2015 got into the networks running the grid, according to the Associated Press. Suspects with neo-Nazi ties were accused of planning to take Baltimore's power grid down in 2023, according to Politico. In early 2024, FBI Director Chris Wray told House lawmakers that Chinese government-backed attackers have targeted water treatment plants, the electrical grid, and transportation systems, the Associated Press reported. And in July 2024, a pair of former Marines, who were active in a neo-Nazi community, allegedly stole military equipment from Camp Lejeune to attack a power substation in the Pacific Northwest, The Hill wrote.