According to The New York Times, hackers have targeted unknown networks of companies responsible for operating nuclear power plants in the United States over the past two months. According to a joint report issued by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier this week, the Times story sets one goal, the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operations Foundation, a facility responsible for overseeing the operation of a nuclear power plant outside Burlington, Kansas. The report also states that energy companies and manufacturing plants are also targeted, but none have been identified by name.
The intensity of the attacks remains unclear, as is the motive behind the cyber attacks. Pirates may be interested in stealing trade secrets in US infrastructure or disrupting the operation of power facilities. It is also unclear whether more than one facility in charge of a nuclear power plant has been successfully penetrated, or if Wolf Creek employees are the only victims so far.
There is no indication that hackers have been able to jump from the computers of their victims to systems of control over facilities," the report said. Wolff Creek officials also confirmed to The Times that its "systems of operations" were kept separate from the computer network from the facility, to prevent such cyber attacks and not to allow hackers to directly control power plant systems.
However, hacking is a serious cause for concern. The joint report notes that pirates are interested in drawing up computer networks to report potential attacks in the future. These attacks focused on staff with direct access to systems that could cause environmental disasters such as toxic waste and fire. It does not appear that the group or individuals concerned have been able to bypass individual computers from industrial control engineers so far.
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