According to U.S. officials, a Russian government hacking group tried to hack into the electrical grid of a Vermont utility.

The code, dubbed Grizzly Steppe, was discovered on a laptop that was not connected to the grid and it was immediately quarantined. The hack raises fears by the U.S. government that Russian government hackers are actively trying to penetrate the grid to carry out potential attacks.

Friday night, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) called on federal officials “to conduct a full and complete investigation of this incident and undertake remedies to ensure that this never happens again.”

“Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the world’s leading thugs, Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health, and safety,” Shumlin said in a statement. “This episode should highlight the urgent need for our federal government to vigorously pursue and put an end to this sort of Russian meddling.”

It is not known when the code entered the system, but authorities are trying to find out the timing and nature of the intrusion. They are also sharing the code with other utilities for security purposes.

Source: The Washington Post