Lake Region Electric Cooperative
As a member of Lake Region Electric Cooperative (LREC), you can have confidence in your cooperative’s commitment to protect your personal information. We also take measures to help keep our nation’s electric grid secure. With cyber threats constantly evolving, we continue to invest in the tools that support the security of our business and in the education necessary to stay informed about best security practices.
Every October, these practices are highlighted during National Cyber Security Awareness Month. This month-long effort was established through a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. The goal is to make sure people have the resources they need to stay safer and more secure online.
An important upcoming cyber security-related project planned at LREC is the Rural Cooperative Cybersecurity Capabilities Program (RC3). The program is designed to support and improve electric co-op’s cyber and physical security programs by addressing the specific needs of small and medium-sized distribution utilities. Lake Region’s senior leadership plans to take the RC3 assessment later this year.
“The RC3 assessment will bring the leaders from all departments together to review our current practices and collaborate on solutions to strengthen LREC’s cyber security posture across the cooperative,” explains Dylan Aafedt, LREC’s vice president of business solutions. “Though cyber security is often led by the IT department, ensuring that our data is secure is the responsibility of all LREC employees.”
In addition to the upcoming RC3 assessment, the cooperative recently enabled multi-factor authentication to boost its security. Weekly internal and external vulnerability scans are performed. Workstations and servers are also patched on a weekly basis. Together, these measures help ensure the security of the cooperative and the members we serve.