Russian Hackers Penetrated US Utility Control Rooms

[Lunchboxxy]

(Reuters) - Russian hackers gained access to the networks of U.S. electric utilities last year, which could have allowed them to cause blackouts, according to federal government officials, who said the campaign is likely continuing, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

The hackers, who worked for a Russian state-sponsored group known as Dragonfly or Energetic Bear, claimed "hundreds of victims" in 2017, according to officials at the Department of Homeland Security, the Journal reported.

Hackers used conventional tools such as spear-phishing emails and watering-hole attacks that trick victims into entering their passwords and then gained access to corporate networks of suppliers, which allowed the hackers to steal credentials and gain access to utility networks, the report on.wsj.com/2LxBrtZ said.

The report comes amid increasing cyber-tensions between Moscow and Washington. A federal grand jury in the U.S. indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers earlier in July on charges of hacking the computer networks of 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-russia/russian-hackers-penetrated-networks-of-u-s-electric-utilities-wsj-idUSKBN1KE03F

So not only is Russia targeting our upcoming election, they are targeting our power grids and utility companies.

The president had to be aware of this information. So why the ever loving fuck would he invite Putin to American soil? Will he be having an elegant state dinner at the White House at the same time hackers attempt to infiltrate our elections as well as our infrastructure?


Anyone who is not asking themselves WHY at this point is apparently trying to build a biodome at the bottom of the Nile. It’s fuckin BONKERS

 

[HayJenn]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-russia/russian-hackers-penetrated-networks-of-u-s-electric-utilities-wsj-idUSKBN1KE03F

So not only is Russia targeting our upcoming election, they are targeting our power grids and utility companies.

The president had to be aware of this information. So why the ever loving fuck would he invite Putin to American soil? Will he be having an elegant state dinner at the White House at the same time hackers attempt to infiltrate our elections as well as our infrastructure?


Anyone who is not asking themselves WHY at this point is apparently trying to build a biodome at the bottom of the Nile. It’s fuckin BONKERS

I just saw this story.

A bit more from the WSJ

DHS has been warning utility executives with security clearances about the Russian group’s threat to critical infrastructure since 2014. But the briefing on Monday was the first time that DHS has given out information in an unclassified setting with as much detail. It continues to withhold the names of victims but now says there were hundreds of victims, not a few dozen as had been said previously. It also said some companies still may not know they have been compromised, because the attacks used credentials of actual employees to get inside utility networks, potentially making the intrusions more difficult to detect.

They’ve been intruding into our networks and are positioning themselves for a limited or widespread attack,” said Michael Carpenter, former deputy assistant secretary of defense, who now is a senior director at the Penn Biden Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “They are waging a covert war on the West.”

Once inside the vendor networks, they pivoted to their real focus: the utilities. It was a relatively easy process, in many cases, for them to steal credentials from vendors and gain direct access to utility networks.

Then they began stealing confidential information. For example, the hackers vacuumed up information showing how utility networks were configured, what equipment was in use and how it was controlled. They also familiarized themselves with how the facilities were supposed to work, because attackers “have to learn how to take the normal and make it abnormal” to cause disruptions, said Mr. Homer. Their goal, he said: to disguise themselves as “the people who touch these systems on a daily basis.”

In addition, DHS is looking for evidence that the Russians are automating their attacks, which investigators worry could presage a large increase in hacking efforts. “To scale, they’re eventually going to have to automate,” Mr. Homer said

This is insane. Of course Trump has this info. But hey, it's ok that the WH has eliminated the position of cybersecurity coordinator, right? So you have to keep asking yourself. What does Russian have on him - not only meeting with Putin in private, but bascially throwing all his own IA agencies under the bus, time and time again. This is, once again, completely NOT NORMAL.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-cybersecurity-coordinator-position-eliminated/

 

[Lunchboxxy]

I just saw this story.

A bit more from the WSJ

DHS has been warning utility executives with security clearances about the Russian group’s threat to critical infrastructure since 2014. But the briefing on Monday was the first time that DHS has given out information in an unclassified setting with as much detail. It continues to withhold the names of victims but now says there were hundreds of victims, not a few dozen as had been said previously. It also said some companies still may not know they have been compromised, because the attacks used credentials of actual employees to get inside utility networks, potentially making the intrusions more difficult to detect.

They’ve been intruding into our networks and are positioning themselves for a limited or widespread attack,” said Michael Carpenter, former deputy assistant secretary of defense, who now is a senior director at the Penn Biden Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “They are waging a covert war on the West.”

Once inside the vendor networks, they pivoted to their real focus: the utilities. It was a relatively easy process, in many cases, for them to steal credentials from vendors and gain direct access to utility networks.

Then they began stealing confidential information. For example, the hackers vacuumed up information showing how utility networks were configured, what equipment was in use and how it was controlled. They also familiarized themselves with how the facilities were supposed to work, because attackers “have to learn how to take the normal and make it abnormal” to cause disruptions, said Mr. Homer. Their goal, he said: to disguise themselves as “the people who touch these systems on a daily basis.”

In addition, DHS is looking for evidence that the Russians are automating their attacks, which investigators worry could presage a large increase in hacking efforts. “To scale, they’re eventually going to have to automate,” Mr. Homer said

This is insane. Of course Trump has this info. But hey, it's ok that the WH has eliminated the position of cybersecurity coordinator, right? So you have to keep asking yourself. What does Russian have on him - not only meeting with Putin in private, but bascially throwing all his own IA agencies under the bus, time and time again. This is, once again, completely NOT NORMAL.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-cybersecurity-coordinator-position-eliminated/

Thanks! Got freekin paywalled from the full WSJ article

 

[excalibur]

Organizations running the nation's energy, nuclear and other critical infrastructure have become frequent targets for cyberattacks in recent years ...

...

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in May designed to bolster the United States' cybersecurity by protecting federal networks, critical infrastructure and the public online. One section of the order focuses on protecting utilities grids like electricity and water, as well as financial, health care and telecommunications systems.


https://www.cnet.com/news/russian-hackers-reportedly-gained-access-to-us-utility-control-rooms/

 

[HayJenn]

Thanks! Got freekin paywalled from the full WSJ article

It's only $12 for 12 weeks - after that it's like $35.00 a month. I just keep canceling and then re-up my subscription

 

[HayJenn]

Organizations running the nation's energy, nuclear and other critical infrastructure have become frequent targets for cyberattacks in recent years ...

...

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in May designed to bolster the United States' cybersecurity by protecting federal networks, critical infrastructure and the public online. One section of the order focuses on protecting utilities grids like electricity and water, as well as financial, health care and telecommunications systems.


https://www.cnet.com/news/russian-hackers-reportedly-gained-access-to-us-utility-control-rooms/

A little to late for that.

Tom Bossert is gone from the administration btw.

 

[Lunchboxxy]

Organizations running the nation's energy, nuclear and other critical infrastructure have become frequent targets for cyberattacks in recent years ...

...

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in May designed to bolster the United States' cybersecurity by protecting federal networks, critical infrastructure and the public online. One section of the order focuses on protecting utilities grids like electricity and water, as well as financial, health care and telecommunications systems.


https://www.cnet.com/news/russian-hackers-reportedly-gained-access-to-us-utility-control-rooms/

Apparently it didn’t do much since the attacks are ongoing.

Why would he invite the man behind the attacks to State Dinner at the White House?