Hackers target US nuclear plants
A report by the US authorities claims that unidentified aggressors have targeted the computer networks of various companies in charge of American power stations located in the United States.
Unidentified hackers have been targeting the networks of companies responsible for US nuclear power plants for about two months. To report it is the New York Times, which cites a joint report from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
One of the targets is the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, the company responsible for overseeing operations at the nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kansas. Currently, hackers are also targeting other energy companies and plants that do not know the name.
The severity of the perpetrated attacks is still uncertain, as well as the reasons unknown at the time. Hackers may be interested in knowing the commercial or technological secrets of American infrastructure, or they might try to create confusion within them and disruptions of various kinds.
It is not even clear whether the aggressors were able to break into the security chains of nuclear power plants or nuclear power plants, or if the only victims of the attacks were the employees of the two, to use as an instrument.
The joint report shows that ” there is no evidence that hackers have been able to penetrate infrastructure control systems through the computers of their victims, ” the Times writes. Wolf Creek executives also confirmed that operating systems are kept separate from infrastructure computer networks, to prevent computer-related aggressions such as those in the report and prevent any attackers from gaining direct control over central control systems energy.
The news of the hack, made or just tempted, is particularly serious if we consider the sensitivity of the threatened sites. The report released by the authority suggests that aggressors are interested in mapping computer networks to use data collected in future attacks.
The attempts already made were aimed at employees who had direct access to exploitable systems for launching large-scale environmental disasters such as toxic waste or fire. At the moment, it does not seem that the aggressors have managed to reach sensitive facilities.
