Multiple media outlets have reported that the Russians managed to hack into a single laptop computer belonging to the Burlington Electric Department (BED), the municipal-owned electrical utility company serving Bernie Sanders’s hometown of Burlington, Vermont. Here is a statement (source here) from the Burlington Electric Department:
Last night, U.S. utilities were alerted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of a malware code used in Grizzly Steppe, the name DHS has applied to a Russian campaign linked to recent hacks. We acted quickly to scan all computers in our system for the malware signature. We detected the malware in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop not connected to our organization’s grid systems. We took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alerted federal officials of this finding. Our team is working with federal officials to trace this malware and prevent any other attempts to infiltrate utility systems. We have briefed state officials and will support the investigation fully.
Now, you may be asking yourself this question...why would Russia hack into a small utility company in Vermont? Although this is not proven fact by anyone’s imagination, I speculate that the Russians hacked into a BED computer as a way of retaliating against Bernie Sanders for endorsing Hillary Clinton in this year’s presidential election, even though Sanders hasn’t been mayor of Burlington, Vermont in decades and is not employed by, or otherwise affiliated with, BED. What other motive would the Russians have?