Power Grid Hacker Gets More Jailtime

from the you-can-hack-the-power-grid? dept

For years, we’ve been hearing that the power grid isn’t connected to the internet, and that it’s unlikely to be attacked by computer problems. However, today comes the news that a guy, known as “Dr. Chaos” (very creative) who was already in prison for “storing cyanide near a Chicago subway,” has had seven more years tacked onto his sentence for “hacking into computers and causing power failures in northeastern Wisconsin.” That’s about as far as the details go, so it’s unclear exactly what happened. Were those two separate things? Did he hack into computer systems and cause power failures separately? Or did he hack into computer systems to cause power failures? If it’s the latter, then it might be worthwhile to know just how easy it is to hack into our power grid to cause failures. Update: According to someone at the Associated Press it was two separate things. He hacked into computers (stop) and caused power failures as two separate actions.


Rate this comment as insightful
Rate this comment as funny
You have rated this comment as insightful
You have rated this comment as funny
Flag this comment as abusive/trolling/spam
You have flagged this comment
The first word has already been claimed
The last word has already been claimed
Insightful Lightbulb icon Funny Laughing icon Abusive/trolling/spam Flag icon Insightful badge Lightbulb icon Funny badge Laughing icon Comments icon

Comments on “Power Grid Hacker Gets More Jailtime”

Subscribe: RSS Leave a comment
7 Comments
Myself says:

It's possible, but..

Remember they wouldn’t let Mitnick use phones in prison because he could “whistle launch codes” to missiles. I’m not making this up, that’s actually the reason given!

Just keep in mind that law school doesn’t have any comp sci requirements. Consider that the people involved in writing the documents, filing the charges, and preparing the news article, all of them probably have the same average computer skill as your uncle.

Add Your Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here

Comment Options:

Make this the or (get credits or sign in to see balance) what's this?

What's this?

Techdirt community members with Techdirt Credits can spotlight a comment as either the "First Word" or "Last Word" on a particular comment thread. Credits can be purchased at the Techdirt Insider Shop »

Follow Techdirt

Techdirt Daily Newsletter

Ctrl-Alt-Speech

A weekly news podcast from
Mike Masnick & Ben Whitelaw

Subscribe now to Ctrl-Alt-Speech »
Techdirt Deals
Techdirt Insider Discord
The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...
Loading...