Enhancing Cyber Resilience in Electric Co-Ops with DeNexus' DeRISK and NRECA's Cyber Goals

Transmission and Distribution (T&D) systems form the backbone of the electric grid, ensuring electricity is reliably delivered from generation sources to end users. As critical infrastructure, these systems are increasingly targeted by cyberattacks that can result in significant cyber-physical damage, including operational disruption, equipment failure, and even public safety hazards. The digitization of grid operations, integration of IoT devices, and growing interconnectivity make T&D systems more vulnerable than ever to sophisticated cyber threats which could result in significant disruption and losses. 

In the U.S., electric cooperatives—which serve over 42 million people across 56% of the nation’s landmass—are especially at risk. These co-ops operate more than 2.7 million miles of distribution lines and serve 21.5 million businesses, homes, and farms. While they are essential to rural communities, electric co-ops often face resource constraints that can limit their ability to implement advanced cybersecurity measures, making them attractive targets for adversaries seeking to exploit less-defended infrastructure. 
 
Recognizing these vulnerabilities, the U.S. Federal Government has launched several initiatives to strengthen cyber resilience in the electric sector. Programs such as the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems (CEDS) and CISA’s Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Program are designed to help utilities —including co-ops— improve their cyber defenses. These initiatives emphasize risk-based approaches, threat intelligence sharing, and the adoption of advanced cyber risk quantification tools. 
 
This is where DeNexus’ DeRISK™ platform plays a pivotal role. DeRISK is a Cyber Risk Quantification and Management (CRQM) platform tailored for critical infrastructure sectors like electric T&D. It combines OT network internal data —such as network architecture, devices and vulnerabilities— with external intelligence on threats and threat actors, cybersecurity controls, and business impact to model cyber risk across grid assets. By quantifying cyber exposure in financial terms, DeRISK empowers Transmission System Owners and Operator to prioritize cybersecurity and cyber risk management investments, align with strategic goals, and mitigate risks proactively. 
 
In an important step forward, DeNexus and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) recently announced a pilot program to deploy DeRISK across selected electric co-ops. This initiative aims to measure the effectiveness of implementing NRECA’s Cyber Goals by using DeRISK’s evidence-based risk modeling. The collaboration will support rural utilities in enhancing cyber resiliency, enabling them to make data-driven security decisions that protect their infrastructure and communities. 

The electric T&D network is a complex system that balances energy between power generation and consumer load; as demand increases then so too must power generation and the flow of energy between them. As recently experienced in Spain in April 2025, when an imbalance or other upset in the T&D network then it can cause a cascading outage. A very rear but statistically probable event that shows the cyber weaknesses of these systems.  

DeRISK is the only CRQM platform that and models that complex system to estimate the financial impact of cyber events to single substations and its larger monetary impact if it can result in a cascading outage. Toll prices and the cost per megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity is taken into account, as well as the lines, transformers, and the relationships between substations.

As cyber threats grow, tools like DeRISK offer a path to not only understand risk but also to manage it effectively—building a smarter, safer, and more resilient grid for the future.

DeNexus is a proud sponsor of the NRECA 2025 Co-op Cyber Tech event on June 24-24 in Denver, CO. You can meet the DeNexus team there to get a live demo of DeRISK for T&D systems.

If you want to learn more, get in touch with our team, or understand how the above is put to use to quantify and manage cyber risks at 250+ industrial sites monitored by DeNexus, you can contact us at https://www.denexus.io/contact.