Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies

[MountainDon]

Wall Street Journal APRIL 8, 2009

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.

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......



...... Overseas examples show the potential havoc. In 2000, a disgruntled employee rigged a computerized control system at a water-treatment plant in Australia, releasing more than 200,000 gallons of sewage into parks, rivers and the grounds of a Hyatt hotel.

article continues...

Another thread of interest on the same topic...
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=16001&tag=nl.e589

Who needs nukes when you have hackers and cyberterrorists?

[pagan]

Yet another reason to be off the grid. Good thing we have the Department of Homeland Security to protect us from terrorists.

[glenn kangiser]

I read that yesterday.

That is not the problem as I see it.  Being from the WSJ and the elite, propagators of the financial ripoff, I see it as an attempt to take over the internet.

I'm so sure all of the grids are directly tied into the internet without proper security for so called terrorists easy access.  Think I'll get on my dialup and shut the power off in the eastern US - .... that was sarcastic guys -- really.

[fishing_guy]

It would be a bit obvious if you shut off the western grid and you had the only power Glenn.  Good thinking!

[pagan]

If Glenn shuts done the east coast, I could shut down the west coast, with some coaching of course. I don't know who we could get to take out the central states.

[Bishopknight]

Im more worried about the damage our "elected leaders" are doing to our own country than spies from china or russia.

Moral of the story, be prepared.

[peternap]

Go ahead and shuter down. As long as the sun shines and the wind blows and water flows downhill....I can watch HBO

[muldoon]

some timing on this..  seems they are trying to get some support for the horrible bill being considered right now. 

http://cdt.org/security/CYBERSEC4.pdf

How about this awesome quote out of it: - page 40ish
SEC. 14. PUBLIC–PRIVATE CLEARINGHOUSE.
(a) DESIGNATION.—The Department of Commerce shall serve as the clearinghouse of cybersecurity threat and vulnerability information to Federal government and private sector owned critical infrastructure information
systems and networks.
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The Secretary of Commerce—
(1) shall have access to all relevant data concerning such networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule, or policy restricting such access;


wait .. what?  the secretary of commerce will have access to private networks owned by private companies and municipalities and can ignore laws, policies, regulation, constitutional limits on access. 

here was another article from this past weekend. 
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93966

[glenn kangiser]

Seems everyone agrees - DC is afraid if the people have free use of the net, their days are numbered so if they take it away the people will not be able to communicate --

I guess the people should agree to take over governing themselves if the net disappears or is tampered with to make it unusable? hmm

[Sassy]

Security 2008
Security 2009, April 20-22, Atlanta Georgia, Save the date!

EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Computer and Network Security Task ForceSponsored by the EDUCAUSE & Internet2 Computer and Network Security Task Force, the 2008 Security Professionals Conference annual meeting brings together information security professionals, IT staff, and others from across the higher education community. The Security 2008 conference will include keynote speakers, pre and postconference seminars, corporate displays, and sessions that address technical solutions, security policies and procedures, and management issues, including security training and awareness. View resources from past conferences at www.educause.edu/conference/security/

The keynote speakers in 2008 were:  Rebecca Whitener
Former Vice President Enterprise Risk Management and Chief Risk Officer EDS
and
Greg Garcia
Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security and Communications,
United States Department of Homeland Security

http://www.internet2.edu/strategicplanning/
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=4991.msg62158;topicseen#msg62158

[glenn kangiser]

Also -- China said the rhetoric about them being spies is lies.

Not that I trust them, but I know our system is filled with liars and dual citizen agents for sure.  I know our criminals in charge are looking for a reason to steal the internet from the public and control it.....so I will give the Chinese the benefit of the doubt.

Homeland Security - Skeletor Chertoff?  He gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.  His gut feeling that someplace in the US was going to be nuked could have become reality if some true Patriotic Air Force servicemen did not give their lives to stop the plot and he and his superiors had actually gained successful unknown control of the nukes.

Not out of the woods yet though --- the nukes still disappeared after the dead Airforce Patriots were dealt with.  Per confidential information.

No - I cannot prove it.