Why are ‘anonymous’ officials commenting enough for a story, but not enough to go on record? It is not clear when this occurred, there is no date in the story.
Via Star Tribune:
A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by President Barack Obama’s administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility, according to U.S. officials.
While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations of the utility, according to officials who asked for 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.
American officials, including one senior administration official, said they are not yet sure what the intentions of the Russians might have been. The penetration may have been designed to disrupt the utility’s operations or as a test by the Russians to see whether they could penetrate a portion of the grid.
Update:
The above report was based on ‘anonymous’ U.S. officials talking to the Washington Post, the claim of penetration of the nation’s electrical grid presenting the possibility of a real danger if true.
Now was it true?
Here’s the latest, from the alleged utility involved.
So it means just that somebody’s laptop got a malware from somewhere, not connected with the utility grid.
So why was the report exaggerated either by the WaPo or the ‘anonymous sources’?