Cyberspies Penetrate U.S. Power Grid

[dgriffin]

Fox News


Cyberspies Penetrate U.S. Power Grid, Leave Software That Could Disrupt System


The intrusions were not just limited to the electrical power grid, but affected systems like water and sewage.



FOXNews.com

Wednesday, April 08, 2009


The U.S. has uncovered evidence that cyberspies, most likely from China and Russia, have penetrated the U.S. power grid and left behind software that could be activated to disrupt American infrastructure, FOX News confirmed Wednesday.

The "intrusions," first reported by The Wall Street Journal, have occurred over a period of time, one U.S. official said -- not all at once.

The concern is that any software could be activated at a later date to disrupt critical systems.

The intrusions were not just limited to the electrical power grid, but affected systems like water and sewage.

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said in a written statement that President Obama takes the issue of cyber security "very seriously," but that the administration is not aware of any "disruptions" to the power grid.

"Cyber attacks are made all the time, however, industry continuously looks for and mitigates against such attacks and we are not aware of any disruptions to the power grid caused by deliberate cyber activity here in the United States," he said.


I'm pretty sure the fellow who collects my garbage is a Russian spy. He seems too happy to be a run-of-the-mill trash man. My last trashman was a mean old sob, but this new guy is affable and helpful. So, I don't trust him. His last name ends with and "i", so he must be Russian, it seems to me.

I asked Willard down the road what he thought, but he said the fellow seems OK to him.
"Willand," I said, "maybe you've lost touch with reality, since you're 84 years old."
"I'm not the one who's lost touch with reality," he replied.

So that's the view from Comrade Willard, the commie pinko old fart.

[snickers]

Well, now National Grid has a ready-made reason to justify the next rate hike.

[frankcor]

It's worse than we first imagined. As it turns out, the cyberterrorists have left behind a horrible deadly computer virus that will cause the all the utility computers to run out of memory, slow down and eventually cause the entire grid to collapse. It's called Internet Explorer 8.1

[dgriffin]

Apr 8, 2009 15:43:53 GMT -5 frankcor said:

It's worse than we first imagined. It's called Internet Explorer 8.1

That's him!! That's my garbage man!!!

[rrogers40]

I don't get it- why do these systems even have to be connected to the Internet? You could easily do what you need to do with computers that are only connected to each other with no other external connection.

[dgriffin]

Apr 9, 2009 13:47:03 GMT -5 rrogers40 said:

I don't get it- why do these systems even have to be connected to the Internet? You could easily do what you need to do with computers that are only connected to each other with no other external connection.

I'll guess that one reason is the Internet offers cheaper communications costs. (No toll calling.) Also, if you want to exchange files, control points, etc., there's nothing worse or more dangerously unreliable than point to point communications. Someone can snip a wire or blow up a controller. Packet switched any-to-any networking ...The Internet... is cheaper and more reliable. Reliability is why the government (not Al Gore) invented it, under the aegis of the old DARPA defense agency.

That said, there are IntRAnets, or private packet switched networks and, yes, I do wonder as you do why our jewels are not on them. Probably they indeed are and this story is just Defense Department disinformation. Could it be?

[rrogers40]

That said, there are IntRAnets, or private packet switched networks and, yes, I do wonder as you do why our jewels are not on them. Probably they indeed are and this story is just Defense Department disinformation. Could it be?

Lets hope so- otherwise this is one of the biggest, and most idiotic, system in the world. It only makes sense that the things you want to keep secure are kept on a secure computer- one that is not networked into every other computer in the world.

In this case why would someone want to be able to control a power plant from home?- the only way you should be able to control this stuff is by being on site.

[frankcor]

If equipment is in multiple sites which is probably the norm for any electrical power grid, using the internet to connecrt and control systems is probably the only cost-effective method. Dedicated data lines are very expensive. If done correctly, internet traffic can be very secure and is very very redundant meaning one broken line doesn't take down your network.

[clarencebunsen]

It wouldn't be done from home but a control point (such as in Marcy) has to manage power generation and transmission across a wide area. Power transmission switched from lines at or near capacity. Additiional generation brought on line if necessary. Loads shed (brown outs) if generation or transmission capacity doesn't equal the demand. Meanwhile everything has to be kept in phase.

I don't know of an instance in which this happened, but I have heard that a generator can over-rev & self distruct if the load is removed from it abruptly. Imagine the damage possible if the transmission lines from the Niagara generation were suddenly shut off.