Russian and Chinese cyber spies found a way to infiltrate the US power grid. They haven’t done anything yet, but it appears there is potential to wreak havoc on our power supplies.
Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.
The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven’t sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.
“The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid,” said a senior intelligence official. “So have the Russians.”
The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn’t target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. “There are intrusions, and they are growing,” the former official said, referring to electrical systems. “There were a lot last year.”
Many of the intrusions were detected not by the companies in charge of the infrastructure but by U.S. intelligence agencies, officials said. Intelligence officials worry about cyber attackers taking control of electrical facilities, a nuclear power plant or financial networks via the Internet.
Authorities investigating the intrusions have found software tools left behind that could be used to destroy infrastructure components, the senior intelligence official said. He added, “If we go to war with them, they will try to turn them on.”
Officials said water, sewage and other infrastructure systems also were at risk.
Now that we know about these intrusions isn’t there someway to get rid of them? This could make me think about adding a solar panel or two to my home, but with the lack of sunlight in my area and the Obama administrations plans to block what sunlight we get, I guess I’ll scrap that idea.
On a separate but somewhat related topic, what is the US going to do about North Korea? It’s been suggested that we pressure China to block North Korea’s energy supply.
This opens the door for the Obama administration to press China to cut off energy and thus end Josef Stalin’s ghastly bastard rogue-state, secured by the advance of the Russian army in the closing days of World War II. Instead, the administration plans to announce a 20 percent cut in missile-defense funding.
Leaning on China to trade something tangible for a benefit China seems entitled to requires setting aside the American preference to sentimentalize foreign relations. Put simply, we need sticks to succeed, not carrots in the form of financial aid, let alone yet another toothless resolution from the Security Council.
It’s a pretty scary world we live in. That’s hope those in charge are up to the task. To date I haven’t seen any evidence that they are.
