Utility hacking

Russian hackers penetrated U.S. electricity grid through a utility in Vermont

While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations
of the utility, according to officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity in order to discuss a security matter, the penetration of the
nation’s electrical grid is significant because it represents a
potentially serious vulnerability. Government and utility industry
officials regularly monitor the nation’s electrical grid because it is
highly computerized and any disruptions can have disastrous implications
for the function of medical and emergency services.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...6f_story.html?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TonyM

Russian hackers penetrated U.S. electricity grid through a utility in Vermont


While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations
of the utility, according to officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity in order to discuss a security matter, the penetration of the
nation’s electrical grid is significant because it represents a
potentially serious vulnerability. Government and utility industry
officials regularly monitor the nation’s electrical grid because it is
highly computerized and any disruptions can have disastrous implications
for the function of medical and emergency services.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...6f_story.html?

---

You know for a FACT that REAL HACKERS, know how to COVER THEIR TRACKS and make it look like somebody else is doing it!!!!

I know for a FACT you have a double standard...

Your 100% alright when the USA does it, but its 100% wrong when another country does it to USA!!!!

Wash compost is fake news. Off to the Ministry of "truth" it goes.

Congratulations TonyM! Your post made it a whole 34 minutes in the COC!

Nice work Wolf!

Yah, complete nonsense. Just trying to tie Russia into hacking at any cost.

Dude - you really WANT to start a fight with a NUCLEAR POWER???

Are you effing nuts?


Earl

You know who's a hack???

You, TonyM.

Imagine my surprise. :roll:

WASHINGTON POST STIRS FEAR AFTER FALSE REPORT OF ‘POWER GRID HACK’ BY RUSSIA

Story quickly falls apart after investigation finds claims to be inaccurate

The Washington Post reported Friday that the U.S. power grid had been hacked by the same Russian actors accused of breaching the DNC – the only problem, the grid wasn’t hacked.



http://www.infowars.com/washington-p...ack-by-russia/

And thus, the well-deserved and earned name, Tony-Baloney.

Vermont utility confirms system breach by Russians


Evidence of Russian hacking has been detected in a Vermont utility system, a company spokesman confirmed Friday night.

A representative of Burlington Electric Department said
in statement that a Russian campaign linked to recent cyberattacks had
breached a single laptop within the utility, though it was not connected
to the organization's electrical grids.

“We took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alerted federal
officials of this finding,” Mike Kanarick, a spokesman for the utility,
said in the statement. “Our team is working with federal officials to
trace this malware and prevent any other attempts to infiltrate utility
systems.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/1...vermont-233085

According to the report, malicious “code” associated with Grizzly Steppe, the name given to Russian hacking operations by the Obama administration, was found within the system of a utility company in Virginia.
“While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a security matter, the discovery underscores the vulnerabilities of the nation’s electrical grid,” the article states.

The code, which was not specifically identified by the Post, was released by the FBI and DHS in a Joint Analysis Report (JNC) Thursday regarding the “tools and infrastructure” of the accused Russian hackers. The report provided a way for network administrators to examine their systems for malicious activity and other Indicators of Compromise (IOCs).
As the news stirred fear among Americans across social media, members of the cybersecurity community immediately questioned the validity of the report.


Matt Tait, a former member of the GCHQ, the UK’s NSA equivalent, quickly noted that attribution, or the process of discovering “whodunnit,” would almost certainly not be accomplished in less than 24 hours.



John Hultquist, who has spent a decade tracking cyber espionage threats for both the government and private sector, noted that Russian operators had previously infiltrated the grid, making it possible that the discovered code was a “lingering infection.”

The IOCs, while important in detecting possible hacks, will likely produce numerous false positives for the near future.


Robert M. Lee, CEO and founder of cybersecurity company Dragos, which specializes in threats facing critical infrastructure, also noted that the IOCs included “commodity malware,” or hacking tools that are widely available for purchase.

No evidence at this time connects the malware to Russia or any recent hacking campaigns.


Soon after publication of the Post’s story, it was revealed that the malware had only infected a utility company laptop that had no access whatsoever to the electrical grid.




As noted by Politico cybersecurity reporter Eric Geller, the Post quickly edited its headline upon learning that the incident was far less serious than initially reported.



The mistake on behalf of the Post is not to suggest that nation states do not hack into one another’s critical infrastructure. Russia has successfully infiltrated the U.S. grid before, is likely inside now, and has attacked the power grids of other countries, such as the Ukraine, in the past.


The U.S. government likewise has gained access to foreign power grids. As part of the “Nitro Zeus” operation, the U.S. breached Iranian infrastructure and prepared to carry out cyber attacks during the early years of the Obama administration in the event that diplomatic efforts to reduce Iran’s nuclear program failed.



The Post’s false hacking story, which continues to be spread by countless media outlets, will likely fuel both fear and distrust as allegations of government hacking continue to captivate the public.


While the U.S. intelligence community leads the world in hacking capabilities, America remains one of the more vulnerable countries given its reliance on technology.

http://www.infowars.com/washington-p...ack-by-russia/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL9q2lOZ1Fw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL9q2lOZ1Fw

Watch hackers break into the US power grid

A power company in the Midwest hired a group of white hat hackers known as RedTeam Security to test its defenses. We followed them around for 3 days, as they attempted to break into buildings and hack into its network, with the goal of gaining full access. And it was all much easier than you might think. Based on our experiences, it would seem that power companies need to step up their game in the fight against cyber attackers or it could be "lights out."

More articles


Russians breach Vermont utility

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecur...-electric-grid


Russia-Linked Malware Found On Vermont Electric Utility Laptop

http://www.wbur.org/news/2016/12/31/...ectric-utility


The Latest: Vermont governor 'outraged' over utility malware

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2...y-malware.html

Colchester-based utility Green Mountain Power said Friday a complete check of its systems has found "no security concerns."
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/30/latest-vermont-governor-outraged-over-utility-malware.html

Updated story

Russian operation hacked a Vermont utility, showing risk to U.S. electrical grid security, officials say

While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt
operations, according to officials who spoke on the condition of
anonymity to discuss a security matter, the discovery underscores the
vulnerabilities of the nation’s electrical grid. And it raises fears in
the U.S. government that Russian government hackers are actively trying
to penetrate the grid to carry out potential attacks.

Officials in government and the utility industry regularly monitor the grid
because it is highly computerized and any disruptions can have
disastrous implications for the country’s medical and emergency
services.

Burlington Electric said in a statement that the
company detected a malware code used in the Grizzly Steppe operation in a
laptop that was not connected to the organization’s grid systems. The
firm said it took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alert
federal authorities.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...6f_story.html?

I can't make a phone call or send an email that isn't scanned for suspect verbiage and I'm to believe that, somehow, Russian malware found it's way onto some gubmnt pogue's laptop, that wasn't connected to anything but caused lights to flicker and briefly dim all throughout the free world and in response "we're" to consider a preemptive first strike?

Sounds about right ....

"Burlington Electric said in a statement that the
company detected a malware code used in the Grizzly Steppe operation in a
laptop that was not connected to the organization’s grid systems."

Could it be, there is also Russian porn on that laptop?

O.W.

Update #2

Russian government hackers do not appear to have targeted Vermont utility, say people close to investigation


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...d5_story.html?

Gee, another lie exposed by the Fake News media.....