Have the Russians hacked the power grid? US officials say code linked to the country's operations found within systems at a Vermont electric facility 

  • Discovered code is believed to be associated with the 'Grizzly Steppe' operation
  • U.S. officials say it was found in the system of a utility center in Vermont 
  • It is not known what the code was used for, but it did not disrupt operations 
  • Vermont has two large facilities: Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric 

By Liam Quinn For Dailymail.com

Published: 21:58 EST, 30 December 2016 | Updated: 00:02 EST, 31 December 2016

A hacking code associated with a Russian operation has been found within the system of a U.S. electric utility.

The code was detected within the system in Vermont, and it is believed to be linked to a Russian hacking operation dubbed 'Grizzly Steppe' by the Obama administration. 

The Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations of the utility, the unnamed officials told the Washington Post. 

A hacking code associated with a Russian operation has been found within the system of a U.S. electric utility. Pictured is the FSB security headquarters in Moscow

However, the penetration of the nation's electrical grid is significant because it represents a potentially serious vulnerability.

Government and utility industry officials regularly monitor the nation's electrical grid because it is highly computerized and any disruptions can have disastrous implications for the functioning of medical and emergency services, according to the Post.

U.S. officials, including one senior administration official, said they are not yet sure what the intentions of the Russians might have been.

Federal officials have shared the malware code used in Grizzly Steppe with utility executives nationwide, a senior administration official said, and Vermont utility officials identified it within their operations, the newspaper reported.

There are two main utilities in Vermont, Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric (pictured)

Green Mountain Power is one of the other main facilities in Vermont that could have been hacked. Pictured is GMP's White River Junction substation

Tensions between the U.S. and Russia have been on the rise in recent days since President Obama announced sanctions against Putin's government for hacking during the election. The two are pictured together in November 2015

While it is unclear which utility reported the incident, there are just two major utilities in Vermont, Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric.

The attack may have been designed to disrupt the utility's operations or as a test by the Russians to see whether they could penetrate a portion of the grid.

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Green Mountain Power and Burlington Electric did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

It comes after President Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking U.S. political groups in the 2016 presidential election.

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