US has infected Russian electricity grid with malware

US state hackers allegedly infiltrated the Russian electricity grid, installing ‘attacking malware’. According to US government sources, the attack is intended to deter the Russians.

The news comes from The New York Times, which relies on multiple conversations with unnamed US government officials. Although the government would not publicly confirm the reports, security adviser John Bolton previously indicated that the United States has a “wider view” of digital targets and is taking a more aggressive stance on digital attacks.

According to The New York Times, Americans have been infiltrating Russia’s electricity grid since 2012. Until now, however, it would only have been spyware with no attacking capabilities. Since last year, however, legislation has been introduced that also allows digital attacks; US state hackers probably then moved on to posting what the US newspaper calls ‘attacking malware’. It is not known exactly what that malware does, but one of the government sources states that the hacking attempts have become ‘much more aggressive’.

So far, however, there have been no public reports of problems with the Russian electricity network. The sources spoken to The New York Times say that for now the main purpose seems to be deterrence.

In the past, Russia has been accused by the United States of using state hackers to infiltrate government systems and conduct digital disinformation campaigns to influence public opinion. For example, a Russian-affiliated hacker group has already been accused of infiltrating the American electricity network. In response, among other things, the new US legislation has been introduced that legalizes attacks with malware.