"Homeland Security: Russian Hackers Infiltrated US Energy Infrastructure"

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an updated alert last week stating that a variant of the BlackEnergy malware had infiltrated the SCADA systems that control critical infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines, water distribution systems and the power grid.

ABC News reported that national security experts believe hackers sponsored by the Russian government are responsible. Although the advisory was updated recently, the campaign may stretch back to at least 2011.

The alert from the Department of Homeland Security's Industrial Control System Cyber Emergency Response Team, or ICS-CERT, noted that the malware was detected, but so far, experts have “not identified any attempts to damage, modify, or otherwise disrupt the victim systems’ control processes.” DHS sources told ABC News that placing the malware but not using it could be a threat geared to deter a U.S. cyberattack on Russian systems."

Katherine Tweed reports for the Energy Collective November 16, 2014.