A state electric utility confirmed on Friday it had found on one of its laptops a malware code the U.S. government says is used by Russian hackers.
(FOX)- The Burlington Electric Department said U.S. utilities were alerted by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday of a malware code used in Grizzly Steppe, the name Homeland Security has applied to a Russian campaign linked to recent hacks.
Burlington Electric, which is municipally owned, said it detected the malware in a laptop not connected to its grid systems. It said it took “immediate action to isolate the laptop and alerted federal officials.”
“Our team is working with federal officials to trace this malware and prevent any other attempts to infiltrate utility systems,” it said in an emailed statement.
It said it had briefed state officials and would fully support an investigation into the potential Russian hack. Russia, which has been accused of interfering in the U.S. presidential election by hacking American political sites and email accounts, has denied hacking U.S. systems.
Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin said his administration had been in touch with the federal government and the state’s utilities.