Cybersecurity

Hackers That Took Down Saudi Oil Site Probing U.S. Grids

  • Xenotime probing utilities in U.S., Asia, security firm says
  • Officials have long warned grids are vulnerable to attacks
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

A group of hackers that shut down a Saudi Arabian oil and natural gas facility in 2017 is now targeting electric utilities in the U.S. and Asia, according to cyber-security company Dragos Inc.

The group, Xenotime, has been probing utilities since late 2018, Hanover, Maryland-based Dragos said in a blog post Friday. It has focused mostly on electronic control systems that manage operations at industrial sites, Dragos said.