Cyberspies targeting U.S. electric grid

WASHINGTON, April 8 (UPI) -- Russian and Chinese cyberspies have penetrated U.S. electric utility computer networks, inserting software that could disrupt power supplies, sources say.

An unnamed senior intelligence official says that while the motives of the cyberspies aren't well understood and no immediate danger has been presented, U.S. security experts are alarmed at the pervasiveness of the espionage and say it could be used against the country in a time of war, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

"The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," the official told the Journal. "So have the Russians."

The cyberattacks don't appear to target certain companies or geographical areas, added an unnamed former Department of Homeland Security official, who told the newspaper: "There are intrusions and they are growing. There were a lot last year."

"Over the past several years, we have seen cyberattacks against critical infrastructures abroad and many of our own infrastructures are as vulnerable as their foreign counterparts," Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair recently testified in a congressional hearing. "A number of nations, including Russia and China, can disrupt elements of the U.S. information infrastructure."