Browse by Tags

Clay Johnson Chief, Security Performance Evaluation Branch   They are dressed in camouflage, fit and well-trained, and they creep quietly toward the perimeter of a nuclear power plant under cover of darkness. Their realistic weapons reflect dully in the moonlight, but these weapons fire blank ammunition...

The NRC is joining the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and others in support of the National Cyber Awareness Month’s Campaign to: Stop.Think.Connect. But cyber security — defending against hackers, criminals, and cyber terrorists — is a year ‘round focus for us. The NRC’s cyber security...

While the NRC is responsible for licensing the nuclear material only in the U.S., we are also very active internationally – especially with helping other countries develop nuclear and radiological regulatory programs covering both safety and security. In 2010, the NRC participated in the first international...

Ten years ago, the nation was still reeling from the events of Sept. 11th, and the NRC was gearing up to face a changed world with, among other actions, a newly created Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR). In those early days, the new NSIR team was working at a hectic pace, requiring...

The NRC requires that all nuclear power plants follow strict access authorization regulations that are intended to make sure only trusted individuals have the OK to be in the most sensitive areas of the plant. These access authorization regulations require fingerprint checks, drug and alcohol screening...

The NRC assesses the safety of all 104 nuclear reactors in this country by looking closely at seven different safety “cornerstones.” These are the fundamentals of nuclear plant safety such as “public radiation safety,” and “barrier integrity.” The severity of any performance issue is assessed using a...

The NRC has just posted on its website an updated report about the NRC’s security activities in the 10 years after the September 11th terrorist attacks. The report, titled “Protecting Our Nation,” (NUREG/Br-0314 Rev. 2) outlines important upgrades in security, emergency preparedness, and incident response...

It’s hard to read the news these days without seeing reports of one entity or another “getting hacked” or being attacked in cyberspace. We’re frequently asked how nuclear power plants are protected from those who try to break into computer systems without authorized access – often for malicious purposes...