A code connected to Russian hacking
efforts has been discovered in a utility
system in Vermont, which could point to
vulnerabilities in the US electrical grid, The
Washington Post reported Friday.
The code detected in the northeastern state's
system did not disrupt its operations, the paper
cited US officials as saying. The code was
associated with the Russian hacking efforts that
US officials have dubbed "Grizzly Steppe."
The Burlington Electric Department said it had
been alerted by the government Thursday night,
carried out a scan and found the malware in one
laptop not connected to its grid systems. It said
it took action to isolate that laptop.
US authorities have not yet pinpointed why the
Russians targeted the grid, according to the
Post, but that it "may have been designed to
disrupt the utility's operations or as a test by
the Russians to see whether they could penetrate
a portion of the grid."
In December 2015, a power failure that plunged
parts of western Ukraine into the dark was found
to be caused by a cyberattack. The Russians
were accused of causing the blackout, an
allegation they have denied.
A US federal law enforcement report released
this week showed that Russian intelligence
agencies over the last two years blanketed
Democratic Party targets with malicious emails
and have likely continued such efforts after
November's elections.
The report's release followed an array of
measures unveiled by Washington as retribution
for what US officials have described as
Moscow's malicious efforts to tip the vote in
favor of President-elect Donald Trump by
stealing embarrassing information from
Democratic Party operations and senior party
members before releasing it to the news media.
Comments