Grid Resilience, Cyber Threats, and the Future of Energy Security with E-ISAC CEO Manny Cancel

Cyber Focus

In this episode of Cyber Focus, host Frank Cilluffo speaks with Manny Cancel, Senior Vice President at NERC and CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC). The conversation explores the evolving threat landscape impacting grid security, including challenges posed by ransomware, physical attacks, and AI-driven cyber risks. Manny highlights the importance of public-private collaboration, resilience engineering, and supply chain security to mitigate nation-state and extremist threats. He also discusses the ISAC's role in information sharing, mutual aid programs, and exercises like GridEx to strengthen critical infrastructure defenses. The episode concludes with insights on emerging technologies, operational technology (OT) convergence, and preparing the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.
Main Topics Covered:

• The evolving threat landscape: cyber, physical, and AI-driven risks
• Public-private collaboration and lessons learned from global crises
• Enhancing grid resilience through mutual aid, GridEx exercises, and supply chain security
• The convergence of IT and OT systems in critical infrastructure
• Preparing the next generation of cybersecurity leaders and addressing resource gaps

Key Quotes:
"The threat has really become so much more complicated because of the geopolitical tensions... corporations were not designed to fight nation states." - Manny Cancel
"We curate products and services for the different audiences that we deal with. We don't dumb things down, but we make things more consumable and digestible and useable." - Manny Cancel
"It's not unreasonable to think that what we're seeing in other parts of the world could occur here." - Manny Cancel
"In a worst case scenario, at least, we hope we can bounce back. If not bounce forward." - Manny Cancel
“We’re seeing a proliferation of drones. I think the challenge with drones is that there are legitimate and then there are malicious [uses].” – Manny Cancel
Related Links:

• NERC
• GridEx VII Report
• E-ISAC

Guest Bio: Manny Cancel is Senior Vice President at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and CEO of the Electricity ISAC. With over 40 years of experience, including serving as CIO of Con Edison, Manny is a recognized leader in grid security and resilience. He champions collaboration across industries, fostering partnerships to address cyber and physical threats to critical infrastructure.