Suspected Russian hackers infiltrate United States nuclear power plants

Hackers believed to be working for a foreign government have recently penetrated the computer networks of power plants across the United States, including a nuclear facility in Kansas, according to reports published Thursday.

Overall, the document did not indicate whether the cyberattacks sought to steal industrial secrets or other espionage, nor was it clear how many plants were breached.

Energy, nuclear and critical manufacturing organisations have frequently been targets for sophisticated cyberattacks.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that the primary suspect is Russian Federation, according to "three people familiar with the continuing effort to eject the hackers from the computer networks".

The report indicated that "there is no indication hackers had been able to jump from their victims' computers into the control systems of the facilities", according to The Times.

More details of the cyberattacks were not immediately provided, and the severity of the attacks remains unclear, as does the motive for them.

In addition, two people familiar with the probe told the Times "the hackers" techniques mimicked those of the organization known to cybersecurity specialists as "Energetic Bear, ' the Russian hacking group that researchers have tied to attacks on the energy sector since at least 2012".

"The safety and control systems for the nuclear reactor and other vital plant components are not connected to business networks or the internet", Wolf Creek spokeswoman Jenny Hageman said in a statement. The hackers did so by sending emails containing fake resumes with malicious codes for control engineering jobs to engineers with access to critical industrial control systems.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on May 11 aimed at strengthening cybersecurity for federal and infrastructure networks.

The corporation has a nuclear facility near Burlington, in Coffey County.

The report comes amid heightened concern that the Russian government hacked the U.S. presidential election in November to ensure a victory for Republican Trump.