Unix Contractor Charged With Shutting Down Power To Data Center That Oversees Calif. Electrical GridUnix Contractor Charged With Shutting Down Power To Data Center That Oversees Calif. Electrical Grid

Federal authorities have charged a Unix system operator for his part in shutting off power to data center computers at an agency that oversees California's electrical grid.

Lonnie Charles Denison, a 32-year-old contract worker, was arrested last week in connection with an April 15 power outage at the California Independent Systems Operator (CAL-ISO), which is a not-for-profit company charged with operating the majority of California's high-voltage, wholesale power grid.

It took 20 technicians seven hours to restore power, at a cost of $14,000, according to a criminal complaint.

Denison has been charged with destruction of an energy facility. If found guilty, he faces a fine and up to five years in prison.

According to the criminal complaint, the system operator had complete access to the network until the week of April 9, when his access was suspended because of an "employee dispute."

The outage took down applications that CAL-ISO uses to communicate with the energy market, which is a system of power-generating facilities that work together to ensure electricity needs are met for the western United States. According to the complaint, the agency was out of touch with the market for two hours, leaving the electrical power grid vulnerable to shortages.

No blackouts occurred because of the interruption, but Jim McIntosh, the agency's director of grid operations, told investigators that if the outage had happened in the morning, the "results would have been far more severe." The criminal complaint added that electric consumers in the western United States would have experienced disruption in its electrical supply.

Hector Alvarez, head of security for CAL-ISO, reported to the FBI that on April 15 at 11:23 p.m. an Emergency Power Off button was activated. The button is located in an area of the facility called the outer data center. It was encased in glass, so anyone needing to push it would have to break the glass with a hammer that is kept nearby.

According to the complaint, another contract worker saw Denison in the "immediate vicinity" of the emergency power off button when it was activated. It also states that security system access logs and video surveillance show that Denison accessed the facility on the day of the outage at 11:15 p.m. Logs also showed that he accessed the outer data center at 11:23, the same time the button was activated.