Russia Is Chief Suspect in Nuclear Power Plant Hacks Tom Porter - Newsweek
go to original July 7, 2017

Steam rises between reactors 2 and 3 at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) March 1, 2002 near San Clemente, CA. (David McNew/Getty Images)

Russian government-sponsored hackers are suspected of being behind the penetration of computer systems at several U.S. nuclear power plants.

Three people familiar with efforts to combat the hack told Bloomberg that Russian hackers were the chief suspects, who had planned to disrupt the nation’s power supply, officials said. The hackers accessed computer systems at at least a dozen nuclear power stations, including the Wolf Creek nuclear facility in Kansas.

Officials told the New York Times that the techniques used by the hackers mimicked those used by Russian hacking group Energetic Bear, which is believed to have been responsible for attacks on the global energy sector since 2012.

The hackers targeted industrial control engineers, who have access to critical industrial control systems, sending them emails with fake resumes, according to a report on the hack by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security seen by the Times. If damaged, the critical control systems can cause an explosion, fire or the spill of dangerous materials.

When clicked, the resumes infected computers, allowing the hackers to access other machines in the network.

On Saturday, Reuters reported that the U.S. government had warned industrial firms of the hacking campaign targeting the nuclear and energy sectors since May.

... “There is no indication of a threat to public safety, as any potential impact appears to be limited to administrative and business networks,” the government agencies said.

Read the rest at Newsweek

Related: Trump, Putin Discuss Russian Meddling in 2016 Campaign. But Accounts Differ (The Los Angeles Times)

Related: IT Pros Share Some Crucial Lessons on How to Avoid Getting Hacked (Upworthy)

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