Spies in power grid: Budget time in D.C.

by Mark Silva

Here's another tale that begs the question: How safe are you feeling these days? Or, where will your tax dollars go?

"Cyberspies'' from China, Russia and other nations have "penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system,'' current and former national-security officials tell the Wall Street Journal.

Is this a warning of new threats, coming from unidentified security experts, or a warm-up for the annual Intel budget battle?

These spies "were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls,'' the Journal reports - with espionage which "appeared pervasive across the U.S.'' and not targeting any single region or power company. They haven't tried to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, "but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.''

"The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," a senior intelligence official is reported saying. "So have the Russians.''
"There are intrusions, and they are growing," a former Homeland Security office says. ""There were a lot last year."

Much of this was detected "not by the companies in charge of the infrastructure but by U.S. intelligence agencies,'' these officials are telling the Journal. "Intelligence officials worry about cyber attackers taking control of electrical facilities, a nuclear power plant or financial networks via the Internet.''

Now, in the Washington realm of the annual fight for a share of the $3.5 trillion federal budget - that "closing the Washington Monument'' mentality that sets in during this season -- it's worth noting, as the Journal does, that this tale has emerged at a time when:

"Protecting the electrical grid and other infrastructure is a key part of the Obama administration's cybersecurity review, which is to be completed next week,'' the Journal reports.

"Under the Bush administration, Congress approved $17 billion in secret funds to protect government networks, according to people familiar with the budget. The Obama administration is weighing whether to expand the program to address vulnerabilities in private computer networks, which would cost billions of dollars more. A senior Pentagon official said Tuesday the Pentagon has spent $100 million in the past six months repairing cyber damage.''

"Over the past several years, we have seen cyberattacks against critical infrastructures abroad, and many of our own infrastructures are as vulnerable as their foreign counterparts," Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair recently told lawmakers. "A number of nations, including Russia and China, can disrupt elements of the U.S. information infrastructure."

Time to start marking up those Intel budgets.