The Wall Street Journal
April 7, 2009
Editor’s note: Funny how spies are now swarming the electric grid as Senate bills No. 773 and 778 — creating the Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor and giving Obama the power to shut down the internet — are under consideration. See Rockefeller: Internet is “Number One National Hazard” and Cybersecurity Bill Gives Obama Dictatorial Power Over Internet.
WASHINGTON — 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.
[efoods]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.”
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