Russia's Power Grid Is an Easy Target for U.S. Hacking
The real message U.S. officials are sending to Moscow is that Russia can be attacked without White House authorization.
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Photographer: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A report in the New York Times that the U.S. Cyber Command has intensified secret efforts to hack the Russian power grid is less interesting for its content than because of U.S. officials’ apparent cooperation in publicizing the activity. Like any power grid undergoing a digital transformation, the Russian one is quite hackable – but why would the U.S. want public discussion of the matter?
The New York Times story talks about “implants” – the placement of malware in networks involved in managing the Russian power grid that could be activated in case of a major conflict. It’s careful to avoid any detail, but Russians know better than many others how vulnerable power grids are to attack.