As for the markets, what does the SEC do when they get shut down by an electronic attack, other than hold a press conference?
And yes. I'm pretty sure you should just take my word for it on the utilities stuff.
As for the power companies, I'm sure thats why they hire security professionals like yourself :).
The SEC provides regulations.
Billions don't need to be sunk by defense agencies on what is essentially a regulation issue.
A lot of these doomsday scenarios are bullshit. The world ran fine without cell phones and the internet, it'll run just as fine without it for a little while. Aside from a medical case here and there, noone is going to die and no country will dissolve as a result of being hacked on the internet or even being without power for a little while.
But yes, regulations would be nice. That way, after a foreign power we've pissed off by parking aircraft carriers in their shipping lanes decides to inflict tens of billions of dollars of damage on us with a a few hours keyboarding, we can at least try to sue someone.
Electronic or financial damage is nothing compared to the ability to level entire nations physically. Any financial/electronic threat has a suitable recourse physically.