How Cybersecurity Protects Our Cooperative Future 

Welcome to The People Behind the Power™, where we showcase the extraordinary work Tri-State employees are doing to keep the lights on for nearly 1 million energy consumers in the rural West. This series pulls back the curtain to share the real stories of the individuals whose dedication powers our communities. Because when you meet the people behind the power, you see the heart, talent, and perseverance that goes into every flip of a switch.   

Can you tell us a bit about your role and what your day-to-day work is like? 

I’m Quan Dang, a senior cybersecurity engineer at Tri-State. My role is to ensure our digital landscape and data is safeguarded with a level of confidentiality, integrity, and availability that ensures critical business operations functions as normal.  

Most of my day is dedicated to threat detection and response. That involves monitoring systems for suspicious activity, managing alerts, and investigating reported phishing emails. I also design and engineer automation for repetitive tasks to free up time to do the more strategic work that requires a bit more complex mental labor. 

How would you explain your job to someone unfamiliar with cybersecurity? 

My 6-year-old asks this question a lot, and I tell him my job is like protecting a castle from invaders trying to steal or burn our treasure. Tri-State is the castle, and its data and operations are the treasure. The walls and moat surrounding it are like the tools that we use to protect it. I go around the castle and look for clues the invaders are trying to get in. Then, I fix the wall or moat when I see it needs fixing and allow the good guys to come in if they have the right password. 

How does your role support our members and their communities? 

Defending Tri-State against cyber threats ensures business continuity, prevents financial loss, and keeps the critical infrastructure that our members use functioning. A stable and secure grid allows power to stay on during emergencies. I can imagine this stability makes it easy for members to trust the integrity of their energy provider.    

Our cybersecurity department also participates in several information sharing programs that increase our security posture like the Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program (CRISP), Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC), Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), and the Energy Threat Analysis Center (ETAC), just to name a few. 

Can you share a moment when you felt especially proud to be part of Tri-State? 

I remember when Tri-State hosted a Cybersecurity Summit a few years ago and had participants from many member organizations in attendance. I loved seeing the cooperative model firsthand as Tri-State presented what had worked for us and heard what some members have struggled with in the past. I really felt that I was part of a family, helping other family members out as we talked about cybersecurity and how we can cooperate with each other to assist in times of cyber crisis.

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about the team or culture at Tri-State? 

Our direct team of incident responders within the Cybersecurity Center (CSC) is comprised of all veterans. We all come from different branches of the armed forces with different experiences, but we understand the mission of protecting the infrastructure that powers millions of lives. That sense of purpose drives innovation, vigilance, and teamwork. 

What drew you to cybersecurity, and how did you end up working in the utility space? 

When I was working in IT as an Air Force Airman, I had the opportunity to be part of my first cybersecurity exercise in 2007.  My computer was selected to be hijacked, and my webcam turned on showing me working without my knowledge. It was a humbling experience that made me realize the importance of safeguarding cyber assets. I later specialized in Cyber Systems Operations and became the local expert in public key infrastructure for the entire base.    

I realized early on that most of the world is dependent on information technology and that tech is powered by energy from the utility industry. So, when an IT position opened at Tri-State, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to be part of the family here and eventually moved into the Cybersecurity Center (CSC) doing my dream job. 

How are cooperatives like Tri-State protecting themselves from cybersecurity threats?  

When I first started at Tri-State as a contractor on the ServiceDesk, the Cybersecurity department and CSC were brand new. In fact, I helped set up the computers and desks here in the CSC.  

Tri-State has seen the growing number of threats and vulnerabilities in public and responded by growing the cybersecurity department. Instead of having one IT person that would sometimes address cybersecurity concerns, we have whole teams protecting the enterprise 24/7.  

We invested in technology that keeps pace with the ever-evolving threat landscape and invested in training our most valuable asset, the employees. Cybersecurity is a strategic priority at Tri-State. 

What’s most rewarding about doing cybersecurity work in a cooperative setting? 

The most rewarding thing about cybersecurity work in a cooperative setting is that everyone learns from each other and shares threat intelligence from active threat actors quickly. If there are indicators of compromise affecting other members or utilities, it's immediately shared, making the community more resilient to information sharing programs mentioned above. Even never-before-seen threats and vulnerabilities can be protected against when cooperatives and the energy sector work together.  

How does your work contribute to the reliability and safety of the grid? 

My work contributes to the reliability and safety of the grid by protecting critical infrastructure data from cyber-attacks and maintaining compliance. Cyber-attacks like breaches and ransomware can be very costly, not just the ransom itself, but from the cost of operational downtime, recovery and remediation, legal or regulatory fines, and reputational damage, not to mention the risk to life without power. 

In a 2024 report from IBM, almost $460 million was paid out to cyber criminals with the single largest payment being $75 million. The average ransom demand in 2024 was $2.73 million. This amount can sink companies and significantly impact Tri-State if we were hit with ransomware. 

What kind of mindset or skill set is essential for cybersecurity professionals in the utility sector? 

Having a mindset of continuous learning and wanting to improve current processes is essential, especially for cybersecurity, as threats and vulnerabilities are always changing and advancing. We're seeing that with the rise of AI and AI-integrated tools in developing malicious content. 

Why is your job important? 

I think my job is important because without cybersecurity, Tri-State would be highly vulnerable to attack, lose our members trust, have disruption to essential and critical services, incur significant financial losses, and Tri-State's reputation could be damaged.  

We would be losing our mission of staying reliable, affordable, and responsible. Cybersecurity affects us all and isn't theoretical. My co-workers and I are actively defending against real world adversaries on a daily basis. 

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From relationship managers to cybersecurity engineers to substation technicians, the people needed to power our cooperative are as unique as the territories our members serve. If you are interested in applying your skills to improve the lives and livelihoods of our members, check out our open positions here.