Pavel Golovkin / AP
Russian hackers have breached a US electricity grid, though no actions to actively harm its function have been found, the Washington Post reported Friday.
The Burlington Electric Department, a part of the Vermont city, found malware on a laptop, which played no role in operating the grid and has since been isolated, the Burlington Free Press reported.
Citing an unnamed US official, the Washington Post first reported that code from the Russian hacking operation, Grizzly Steppe, was found within the computer system of a utility company in Vermont. US intelligence has attributed Grizzly Steppe to Russian military and civilian hackers, who officials say targeted the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta ahead of the US election.
The team of hackers was also responsible for cyberattacks on utility grids that caused unprecedented blackouts in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The White House this week levied new sanctions on Russian intelligence services in response to the pre-election hacks. Additionally, 35 Russian intelligence operatives and their families are being expelled.
Since identifying the hacking operation, US officials have shared its code with utility companies around the country. So far, the code has only been found within the system of a Vermont utility — a potentially serious vulnerability that could allow attacks on critical infrastructure, the Post reported.
The breach did not put the local electric grid in any danger, Vermont Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia told the Free Press.
"The grid is not in danger," Recchia said. "The utility flagged it, saw it, notified appropriate parties and isolated that one laptop with that malware on it."
However, what the hackers intended to do by breaching the utility is unknown. Officials told the Post it may have been a test, or hackers may have intended to try to disrupt the electricity grid at a later time.
LINK: Meet Fancy Bear, The Russian Group Hacking The US Election
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/2hykPzv
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