Power grids- the new targets

Earlier this month the Associated Press reported that security researcher Brian Wallace unexpectedly discovered that cyberattackers had found a way into the networks running power grids in the U.S. According to the report, the unknown hackers already had their hands on the engineering plans of dozens of power-plants throughout the U.S.

Perhaps more astonishing, however, was the revelation that this was not the first time this incident had occurred, and that several times in recent years foreign hackers had gained access to control of the network in order to keep the lights on.

The following day, officials from Duke Energy told News Channel 11 that the largest electricity company in the U.S. was on high alert against against cyber-threats, and that its computer systems were under constant attack by hackers.

“We really don’t know how much penetration of our electrical grid has already occurred,” said Eric Holdeman, who writes about emergency management and homeland security issues on Emergency Management. According to Holdeman, it is only a matter of time before “someone pulls the trigger” and shuts down part of the grid.

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