Russian hacking code found in US power utility computer

Washington

A COMPUTER code connected to Russian cyberattacks by US intelligence agencies has been found in a laptop computer at a Vermont electric utility, a development that emerged a day after the Obama administration hit Russia with sanctions for hacking during last year's US election.

The laptop wasn't connected to the power grid at the time, the Burlington Electric Department said in a statement on Friday. It said it scanned its computer network and found the malware after the US Department of Homeland Security sent out an alert about the code to owners and operators of critical infrastructure.