The Islamic State is attacking the energy grid of the United States, but thankfully for Americans, they aren’t doing a very good job.
Law enforcement officials in the United States revealed on Wednesday that ISIS has been attempting to hack into the country’s energy grid. Officials have not revealed any details or evidence of the attempted attacks, other than the fact that ISIS has been largely unsuccessful.
The terrorist organization does not possess sophisticated hacking tools or techniques, making their goal of breaking into computer systems of the United States and shutting down key equipment a virtually impossible task. While their intent is lofty, their capability is low.
However, there is concern among United States officials that ISIS can simply buy better technology or manpower. Hacking software is regularly available on the black market.
If ISIS does manage to obtain better malicious software, it could prove disastrous to the flow of energy for American homes and businesses.
The threat also extends beyond ISIS, as domestic terrorists and various hate groups could also commit similar actions. Even more threatening is the possibility of cyber attacks from other countries. Russia has already shown its malicious capabilities.
However, the likelihood of an attack taking out the entire energy grid of the United States is remarkably low. The grid consists of a patchwork of smaller grids that are connected with different types of machines and software.
Basically, it is not just one giant uniform grid. A hacking group would have to understand each individual component of the layout in order for a successful attack to take place. Even then, they would probably only be able to affect the energy supply to a small portion of land before the United States caught on.
Still, with the technology becoming more and more readily available, it never hurts to be cautious. But so far, security agencies in the United States have had a lot of success in protecting the country from potentially devastating attacks.
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