WASHINGTON (AP) – Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Tuesday that “state-sponsored” or criminal hackers are targeting U.S. nuclear power plants and other energy providers, but said the government has resources to safeguard the nation’s electric grid.
Perry told Fox Business Network that the threat of cyberattacks on the electric grid “is real, it’s ongoing and we shouldn’t be surprised when you think of the world we live in today.”
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security told energy providers last week that hackers may be trying to breach their computer systems. Hackers appear to have tried to breach the business and administrative networks of unidentified facilities, DHS said.
There was no threat to public safety, the agency said. DHS and the FBI routinely advise the private sector of possible cyber threats to help officials protect potentially vulnerable networks.
The source of the intrusions is unknown, but Perry said the hackers “may be state-sponsored” or just “criminal elements” trying to penetrate vulnerable sites.