http://abcnews.go.com/US/trojan-horse-bug-lurking-vital-us-computers-2011/story?id=26737476
By JACK CLOHERTY and PIERRE THOMAS
ABC News
Nov 6, 2014
A destructive “Trojan Horse” malware program has penetrated the software
that runs much of the nation’s critical infrastructure and is poised to
cause an economic catastrophe, according to the Department of Homeland
Security.
National Security sources told ABC News there is evidence that the malware
was inserted by hackers believed to be sponsored by the Russian
government, and is a very serious threat.
The hacked software is used to control complex industrial operations like
oil and gas pipelines, power transmission grids, water distribution and
filtration systems, wind turbines and even some nuclear plants. Shutting
down or damaging any of these vital public utilities could severely impact
hundreds of thousands of Americans.
DHS said in a bulletin that the hacking campaign has been ongoing since
2011, but no attempt has been made to activate the malware to “damage,
modify, or otherwise disrupt” the industrial control process. So while
U.S. officials recently became aware the penetration, they don’t know
where or when it may be unleashed.
DHS sources told ABC News they think this is no random attack and they
fear that the Russians have torn a page from the old, Cold War playbook,
and have placed the malware in key U.S. systems as a threat, and/or as a
deterrent to a U.S. cyber-attack on Russian systems – mutually assured
destruction.
[...]
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