Malicious software linked to a Russian hacking group suspected of trying to influence the U.S. presidential election has been found in a computer belonging to Burlington Electric, one of Vermont’s electrical utilities, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Securities.
The computer on which the malware was found was not connected to the operation of the grid, Vermont Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia said.
The utility found the malware Friday on a laptop after the Obama administration released code associated with the campaign, dubbed Grizzly Steppe, on Thursday.
The aim of the release was to allow utilities, companies and organizations to search their computers for the digital signatures of the attack code, to see if they had been targeted.
Based on his knowledge, Recchia said Friday night he did not believe the electrical power grid was at risk from the incident. “The grid is not in danger,” Recchia said. “The utility flagged it, saw it, notified appropriate parties and isolated that one laptop with that malware on it.”
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Statement from the Burlington utility, per that BFP story. pic.twitter.com/25cHENWh0a
— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) December 31, 2016
Oh. Whew. For a minute there, I was concerned the Russians might be interested in accessing our power grid or something. https://t.co/6dt6zmCxsM
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) December 31, 2016
The Post now reports that the Vermont utility hack was just an employee connecting to a flagged IP address… https://t.co/fapgFHt9aQ pic.twitter.com/zIGp0NEXnl
— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) January 3, 2017
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