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Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated by Spies
Wall Street Journal ^ | April 8, 2009 | SIOBHAN GORMAN

Posted on 04/07/2009 7:38:04 PM PDT by Snoopers-868th

WASHINGTON -- Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.

The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Government
KEYWORDS: actofwar; china; coldwar2; electricity; electricitygrid; electricitygrids; electricralgrid; energy; espionage; grid; grids; powergrid; powergrids; russia; sovietunion; spies; tm; war
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To: teenyelliott

Last week, Senate Democrats introduced a proposal that would require all critical infrastructure companies to meet new cybersecurity standards and grant the president emergency powers over control of the grid systems and other infrastructure.
________________
go for it obummer. Wonder who will have the advantage in the dark?


41 posted on 04/07/2009 8:12:41 PM PDT by mojitojoe ( Idiots elected a Marxist ideologue with narcissistic personality disorder & America is dying.)
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To: pnh102
I wonder how true this is. I can’t imagine such systems would be hooked up to the Internet for any reason. Of course, people who work for these companies could be in a position to breach security...

The grids are controlled by data circuits which isn't quite the same thing. But communication that travels on wire or air is hackable. The only question left would be how easy it would be to do so. For what's it's worth many utilities now can have an on call employee manually reset sub station switches after hours at their home via computer link up.

42 posted on 04/07/2009 8:13:21 PM PDT by cva66snipe ($.01 The current difference between the DEM's and GOP as well as their combined worth to this nation)
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To: Snoopers-868th
For some technical background on SCADA.
43 posted on 04/07/2009 8:13:58 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the occupation media.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

I am on cable. What is troock?


44 posted on 04/07/2009 8:14:16 PM PDT by Snoopers-868th
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To: mojitojoe
Very good point. I wonder which side is better prepared to handle a crisis? Can you say...New Orleans???

Thank you, you just made me feel better.

45 posted on 04/07/2009 8:14:22 PM PDT by teenyelliott (Soylent green should be made outta liberals...)
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To: Cindy

It’s who the smart grids can listen to.

Just last night I was reading in some music equipment catalog about devices intended to use “white space” (spectrum freed up by changing over from old analog TV to the new digital stuff). They said, no problem, you can put entries into a public FCC database to reserve a piece of spectrum for a given time. I was thinkin’, hoo boy won’t THAT be easy to spam and DOS! Especially when gummit public safety communications are supposed to amicably “share” this.


46 posted on 04/07/2009 8:14:26 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Beat a better path, and the world will build a mousetrap at your door.)
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To: Snoopers-868th

As in pickup troock. That’s how they say truck in Oklahoma


47 posted on 04/07/2009 8:16:09 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Beat a better path, and the world will build a mousetrap at your door.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

hahahahahahahah Note to self: Read screen names.


48 posted on 04/07/2009 8:18:08 PM PDT by Snoopers-868th
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To: teenyelliott

How handy.......

Such timing.....


49 posted on 04/07/2009 8:20:58 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma ( PRAY! Pray for the U.S. Pray for Israel.)
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To: Cindy

bttt


50 posted on 04/07/2009 8:23:47 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma ( PRAY! Pray for the U.S. Pray for Israel.)
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To: Brad's Gramma

But fortunately we can’t do anything because that would dis the Chinese and Russians.


51 posted on 04/07/2009 8:23:51 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Beat a better path, and the world will build a mousetrap at your door.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

And the Kenyan...


52 posted on 04/07/2009 8:25:03 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma ( PRAY! Pray for the U.S. Pray for Israel.)
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To: Brad's Gramma

Hey, don’t we have any hackers who could pwn the Chicoms and Rooskies right back?


53 posted on 04/07/2009 8:25:33 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Beat a better path, and the world will build a mousetrap at your door.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

You’re asking a GRANDMOTHER?

Eeeeeeeek!


54 posted on 04/07/2009 8:26:09 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma ( PRAY! Pray for the U.S. Pray for Israel.)
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To: pissant

I’m certain Janet Napolitano will show them the back way into all the plants and come up with some silly excuse for their mahem when it’s over.


55 posted on 04/07/2009 8:27:45 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Snoopers-868th
THIS just in on the wire.......
president obama will immediately place an embargo on all DIET-PEPSI from entering China and Russia as a protest against the Electrical Grid spying!

56 posted on 04/07/2009 8:28:39 PM PDT by timestax (CNNLIES..BIG TIME)
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To: Snoopers-868th
If so, I would suspect that computers is how they control them.

This type of control can be done without using the public internet. All it takes is the use of a private network which as no internet connectivity. Infiltrating the latter would be far more difficult than getting in through the internet.

I think that if these critical systems were indeed connected to the internet in some way, a hack would have been found and some script kiddie would have brought down the entire US power grid just for kicks.

57 posted on 04/07/2009 8:29:54 PM PDT by pnh102 (Save America - Ban Ethanol Now!)
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To: Brad's Gramma

Never too late to learn


58 posted on 04/07/2009 8:36:52 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Beat a better path, and the world will build a mousetrap at your door.)
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To: Snoopers-868th

The spies came from China, Russia

Anyone who thinks the Cold War is over--pull your head out of the sand!
59 posted on 04/07/2009 8:37:44 PM PDT by G8 Diplomat (I'm learning Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Pashtu, and Russian so someday you won't have to)
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To: pnh102

Semi-publicly connected, perhaps through dial up modems.

Also how many people have passwords to these systems on their laptop computers? Add the Spyware du Jour and we have....


60 posted on 04/07/2009 8:38:57 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Beat a better path, and the world will build a mousetrap at your door.)
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