For the first week of November, Plum Island was the guinea pig for a decidedly 21st-century threat: cyberattacks that could hamstring the power grid.

Companies will be required to report when attackers attempt to breach their networks. Currently they only have to notify the government about incidents that result in an actual compromise or disruption.

The United States must harness its technical know-how to defend energy infrastructure from advanced hacking, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday, touting his department’s investments in cybersecurity research and development.

The legislation would give the National Guard a bigger role in defending everything from election systems to dams from cyberattacks.

As foreign hackers continue to probe the U.S. grid for weaknesses, a cyber exercise for the North American energy sector has shown that many utility personnel still lack access to the classified information needed to stay on top of the threat.

A security alert about foreign hackers probing into U.S. energy companies released late Friday by the Homeland Security Department frightened casual observers, but security experts say the government report provided little more than an update on relatively well known activity and behavior.