IT Threat to Power Grid

Here's a scary story: "Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials."

China and Russia are named in the article.

More: "Officials said water, sewage and other infrastructure systems also were at risk."

This doesn't make corporate IT security sound very good: "Many of the intrusions were detected not by the companies in charge of the infrastructure but by U.S. intelligence agencies." The industry addressed that issue in a letter to constituent firms, which promises futher action.

The nature of the power grid makes it vulnerable - and its increasing reliance on IT may make it more so in the future.