The U.S. government Thursday warned of a heightened risk of a cyber-attack that could disrupt the control systems of American companies providing critical services such as electricity and water.
Officials are highly concerned about "increasing hostility" against "U.S. critical infrastructure organizations," according to the warning, which was released by the Department of Homeland Security on a computer network accessible only to authorized industry and government users. "Adversary intent extends beyond intellectual property theft to include the use of cyber(strikes) to disrupt . . . control processes."
Senior U.S. officials have warned in recent months that foreign adversaries are probing computer systems that operate chemical, electric and water plants, and are increasingly concerned about a potentially destructive cyber-attack.