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U.S. Power Grid Being Hit With ‘Increasing’ Hacking Attacks, Government Warns


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u-s-power-grid-being-hit-with-increasing-hacking-attacks-government-warnsFree Beacon:

Major attacks on the U.S. power grid system are “increasing,” with hackers stepping up efforts to penetrate critical systems and to implant malicious software that could compromise the power grid and result in a nationwide crisis, according to a government report.

 

While experts have long signaled that the U.S. power grid and related systems are vulnerable to physical attacks by terrorists and other individuals, the U.S. government is now warning that sensitive computer systems that maintain the grid are increasingly being attacked, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report that was not made public until the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) disclosed it this month.

 

The report warns that hackers potentially affiliated with terrorist groups or rogue nations have the ability to insert harmful malware into the internal systems governing the U.S. grid, which increasingly are being hooked into the Internet.Scissors-32x32.png


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Congress struggles to secure nation's power grid

 

Policymakers are searching for ways to defend the nation’s power grid from a major cyberattack, amid concerns the industry’s digital defenses are dangerously lagging and underfunded.

 

Security experts warn that energy companies, while attuned to the threat, are scrambling to play catch-up, leaving the all-important power grid exposed to hackers.

 

On Capitol Hill, the threat of a major power grid hack has mostly gone with little notice, sidelined by the bold cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, a series of hacks across the health insurance industry and the devastating intrusions at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), thought to be the largest ever digital theft of government data.

 

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But while the chances of a headline-grabbing cyberattack hitting the energy system remain minimal, the damage could easily surpass any of the digital assaults that have driven the cyber talks on Capitol Hill this year.

“Just because something is a low probability doesn’t mean it’s going to be low impact,” said Stephen Boyer, co-founder of security firm BitSight.

 

“The whole idea of the grid is crucial,” emphasized Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who is backing a bill to prioritize power grid cybersecurity. “It is the backbone of America’s industry and social life or quality of life for our citizens. Therefore a grid that is attacked is your water, it’s your sewer, it’s your electricity.”Scissors-32x32.png

 

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/261310-congress-struggles-to-secure-power-grid

And according to researchers, the industry isn’t fully prepared to stymie sophisticated hackers.

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