Israel's Electrical Grid Targeted by 'Severe Cyber-attack'

Israel’s Electricity Authority managed to thwart a “severe cyber attack” on its operations this week, National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources Minister Yuval Steinitz revealed Tuesday.

Speaking at the close of the first day of the two-day Cybertech Conference in Tel Aviv, Steinitz said that the attack – which was discovered on Monday – was being “handled” by his ministry, together with Israel’s National Cyber Bureau.

“The virus was already identified and the right software was already prepared to neutralize it,” he told the slowly thinning out crowd – which seemed to suddenly wake up at the news. “We had to paralyze many of the computers of the Israeli electricity authorities. We are handling the situation and I hope that soon, this very serious event will be over.”

The attack, he continued, was yet another example of “the sensitivity of infrastructure to cyber-attacks, and the importance of preparing ourselves in order to defend ourselves against such attacks.”

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.699706