A utilities company in Vermont has detected evidence of Russian malware, according to a report this evening from The Washington Post, which cited anonymous US officials. The code is said to be connected to a Russian hacking outfit the US government has named Grizzly Steppe.
Russian malware was found on one laptop not connected to the grid
According to the company, later revealed to be the Burlington Electric Department, the code linked to Grizzly Steppe was found on just one laptop, and the laptop wasn’t connected to the electrical grid — allaying earlier fears that Russia had hacked into the nation’s electrical grid. Owned by the city of Burlington, the utility firm confirmed the breach in a post on its Facebook page.
“The grid is not in danger,” Vermont Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia told the Burlington Free Press. “The utility flagged it, saw it, notified appropriate parties and isolated that one laptop with that malware on it.”
Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation released their joint analysis report describing the Grizzly Steppe hacking campaign. The Department of Homeland Security also notified US utilities that they should be on the lookout for a specific malware code associated with Grizzly Steppe, according to Burlington Electric’s statement.