Energy Secretary Rick Perry expressed “disappointment and concern” to Russia’s energy minister on Thursday about Moscow’s continue attempts to hack America’s power grid.
Perry shared his concerns with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak during a meeting in Moscow, the Energy Department said in a readout of the discussion.
The readout said Perry is upset about “Russia’s continued attempts to infiltrate the American electric grid.”
That description suggests that Russia has not stopped its hacking efforts after the Department of Homeland Security said in March that Russian hackers gained access to the U.S. electrical grid last year.
“Since at least March 2016, Russian government cyber actors targeted government entities and multiple U.S. critical infrastructure sectors, including the energy, nuclear, commercial facilities, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors,” the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said in a joint statement at the time.
The agencies said Russian hackers compromised energy operators in North America and Europe by copying information of machinery and descriptions of how they operate, which could be used to shut down power plants.
U.S. officials say there is no evidence hackers have been able to break the networks that control operations at power plants.
But policymakers and experts worry the U.S. lacks a strategy to combat the possibility.
In July, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined with South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham in sending a letter to the White House over concerns “about Russia’s capabilities with respect to cyberattacks on our energy infrastructure.”
“We believe the federal government needs to take stronger action prioritizing cybersecurity of energy networks and fighting cyber aggression to match your Department of Energy’s outward facing commitment,” the letter said.
The Trump administration is planning new policies to punish hackers of the power grid, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.
Perry, in his meeting with Novak, also warned his Russian counterpart that Moscow “can no longer use energy as an economic weapon.”
He reiterated the administration’s opposition to Russia’s planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that would transport natural gas from Russia to Germany. The U.S. argues it would threaten stability in the region by making European countries overly reliant on Russian gas. The Trump administration wants to export more U.S. liquified natural gas to Europe as an alternative.
Perry also touted a Energy Information Agency report released Wednesday that said the U.S. has surpassed Russia as the world’s largest oil producer, meaning the two countries “have a joint responsibility to further international energy security and global stability.”
“The future of our energy relations is predicated on successfully addressing our broader disagreements,” Perry said.
