RFE/RL: Russian hackers came close to causing US blackouts last year, say officials

This file photo taken on July 21, 2014 shows an employee of Equinix data center checking servers on July 21, 2014 in Pantin, a suburb north of Paris in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. The world's biggest ransomware attack levelled off in Europe on May 15, 2017 hanks to a pushback by cyber security officials after causing havoc in 150 countries, as Microsoft urged governments to heed the "wake-up call".

Photo by AFP

Hackers working for Russia claimed “hundreds of victims” last year in a major, long-running campaign that enabled them to gain control over some U.S. electric utilities, where they could have caused blackouts, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Citing officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Journal reported on July 23 that the Russian hacking campaign has likely continued this year and involves a state-sponsored group known as Dragonfly or Energetic Bear.