NSA Chief: China, Other Countries Can Hack Into U.S. Electric Grid

China and at least one other country are capable of hacking into critical infrastructure such as the electric power grid or water systems, potentially causing “catastrophic failures” that could kill Americans or damage property, the head of the National Security Agency confirmed publicly for the first time Thursday.

“The cyber challenges we’re talking about are not theoretical. This is something real,” said Adm. Michael Rogers, who also leads U.S. Cyber Command.

He said his agency has detected “nation-states” probing critical infrastructure and industrial control networks, looking for vulnerabilities, and investing in the capability to damage or destroy those systems.

“All of that leads me to believe it is only a matter of the when, not the if, that we are going to see something dramatic,” Rogers said.

Though U.S. officials have long warned of a potential “cyber Pearl Harbor,” this was the first time a senior official has confirmed that hackers working for a foreign government have the capability to pull it off.

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