CBS' 60 Minutes looks at vulnerability of U.S. smart grid

Consumer Reports News: November 09, 2009 12:31 PM

Last year, we told you about how vulnerable a smart grid could be to cyber-attacks. Last night on CBS, 60 Minutes ran a report by correspondent Steve Kroft called " Sabotaging the System," which looked at the country's vulnerability to cyber-attacks.

"If I were an attacker and I wanted to do strategic damage to the United States, I would either take the cold of winter or the heat of summer, I probably would sack electric power on the U.S. East Cost, maybe the West Coast, and attempt to cause a cascading effect. All of those things are in the art of the possible from a sophisticated attacker," Mike McConnell, a retired Navy admiral, told 60 Minutes.

Watch the 60 Minutes report. And if you're worried about Internet security, check out our Guide to Online Security. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: If you're concerned about losing power at home during an emergency—be it caused by hackers or by Mother Nature—check our our report on and ratings of backup generators (ratings available to subscribers). e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

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CBS' 60 Minutes looks at vulnerability of U.S. smart grid

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