Federal officials this week warned Russian hackers have targeted U.S. water and power plants and other critical infrastructure.
California’s Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci said the warning does not mean Russians have obtained codes to our nuclear plants or anything so dire.
“What it is is a demonstration and an affirmation that state sponsored entities like Russia are using the cyber pathways to be able to ping us and try to find vulnerabilities in our systems,” Ghilarducci said, adding the state has worked with the federal government since last July on this issue.
California has only one active nuclear plant, San Luis Obispo County's Diablo Canyon. Ghilarducci noted core functions of nuclear plants are not connected to the internet.
Still, he says, the Russian threat shows the need to build a ‘culture of cyber preparedness.’
