The Department of Homeland Security, CIA and the National Security Agency have launched an investigation into a cyber attack that led to an hours-long blackout that affected approximately 700,000 households in Ukraine on Dec. 23, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday.
Shane Harris writes computer security professionals at the three U.S. agencies have begun to analyze samples of malicious software found in the networks of Ukraine-based power firm Prykarpattyaoblenergo and have started to investigate Russia’s potential involvement in the intrusion.
Some experts told The Daily Beast that BlackEnergy, a malware used in a cyber attack campaign that sought to compromise the U.S. power grid in 2014, was also discovered in the power company’s computer networks.
Computer security services provider iSIGHT Partners has initiated efforts to examine the devices used in the cyber attack on Ukraine’s power facilities, Harris reports.
Government experts and three security firms have started to gather technical data to further support their finding about the power outage’s connection to the network intrusion.