CIA Hackers shut down power to entire cities

Computer hackers have managed to shut down power to entire cities by breaking into the systems of electricity companies and then demanding money, a senior CIA analyst has claimed.

Tom Donahue told a utilities security conference in New Orleans all the successful hackings occurred outside America.

He did not specify what countries were affected, when the power cuts happened or how long they lasted.

Mr Donahue, who was speaking at the Process Control Security Summit, later said in a statement: "We have information, from multiple regions outside the United States, of cyber intrusions into utilities, followed by extortion demands."

He said the CIA suspected some of the cyber-attackers "had the benefit of inside knowledge".

He added: "In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities. We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet."

A CIA spokesman declined to provide additional details, saying: "The information that could be shared in a public setting was shared. These comments were simply designed to highlight to the audience the challenges posed by potential cyber intrusions."

The Bush administration is increasingly worried about the little-understood risks from hackers to the specialised electronic equipment that operates power, water and chemical plants, known as Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. These are increasingly connected to the Internet.

Hackers first launched such a pattern of cyber attacks followed by subsequent blackmail attempts against the online gambling industry six or seven years ago.

In a test last year, the Homeland Security Department produced a video showing commands quietly triggered by simulated hackers having such a violent reaction that an enormous generator shudders as it flies apart and belches black-and-white smoke. Full article