Hackers target US nuclear facilities

Unidentified hackers are reportedly targeting the computer networks of companies in the United States that operate nuclear power stations and energy facilities.

In an interview on FOX Business’ After-the-Bell, former CIA officer Mike Baker said that these cyber threats on nuclear facilities are most likely from state-sponsored governments.

“It could be state sponsored actors, it could be Russia, could be China, could be Iran, could be North Korea, and that frankly is more likely,” he said.

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The former CIA officer believes that the likelihood of these hackers gaining control of facility operations are unlikely. Baker noted that business management systems, which are hooked up to the internet, and physical controls are on separate systems.

“There’s a gap. There’s what’s referred to as an air gap between those systems, so you don’t have that con activity with the internet. It makes it far more difficult for hackers to penetrate that system that controls physically what’s going on inside a nuclear power plant,” he said.

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