Can Hackers Take Over the U.S. Power Grid?

There is an interesting article that I read recently entitled “Cybercriminals have penetrated U.S. electrical grid” that is quite disturbing. In the original Wall Street Journal article, it states that cybercriminals have gained access to U.S. power grid systems and are mapping the network and infecting computers with malware. Although it appears to be speculation at this time, a wide variety of scenarios have begun to emerge regarding what these criminals could do with this level of access. Some of the scenarios are pretty scary. Everything from control to sabatoge and ransom have been discussed.

My feeling is that as a world culture, we don’t understand where the newest threats come from and the impact they could have. While Heartland Payment Systems seems like a big deal today, the cost and damage has likely been a drop in the bucket compared to what is on the horizon if we don’t get a better handle on these current threats.