Russian hack on US power company a false alarm

Investigators jumped to the wrong conclusions on the basis of a single IP address

A supposed hack of a US energy utility perpetrated by Russian hackers has proved to be false, with investigators - and journalists - accused of jumping to wrong conclusions on the basis of minimal evidence.

The attack was said to have happened on Friday last week and was widely publicised over the weekend.

However, it now transpires that the claims were made on the basis of extremely flimsy evidence after an alert was triggered when an employee at the Burlington Electric Department in Vermont simply checked his Yahoo email account.

That triggered a false alarm suggesting that the employee's email had connected to an IP address associated with the hackers behind the attack on the Democratic National Committee.

The investigation was kicked off on Friday after the utility reported the alert to federal authorities. The Washington Post reported on the supposed attack on Friday evening, even going as far as to suggest that Russian hackers had "penetrated the US power grid".

It suggested that a signature associated with a Russian hacking operation called 'Grizzly Steppe' by US government officials had been identified at the utility company. Burlington Electric claimed in a statement that the laptop had not been connected to the organisation"s power grid systems.

That, however, did not stop 'outraged' politicians from calling for action.

Peter Shumlin, governor of Vermont, demanded a "full and complete investigation" and added: "Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the world's leading thugs, Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health, and safety."

He continued: "This episode should highlight the urgent need for our federal government to vigorously pursue and put an end to this sort of Russian meddling."

One of the state's representatives, Peter Welch, said that it was proof that Russian hacking had become rampant. "They will hack everywhere, even Vermont, in pursuit of opportunities to disrupt our country. We must remain vigilant."

However, the investigation over the weekend found that, instead of uncovering evidence of Russian hacking, the laptop was instead compromised by the Neutrino Exploit Kit, which is typically used by inexpert hackers.

The uneasiness over hacking of power grids comes after Ukraine's power systems have been repeatedly targeted in attacks in recent years. The attacks on Ukraine's power stations have caused temporary shutdowns, while the evidence linking them with Russian state attacks is also far stronger.