A number of newspapers have reported on information coming from the CIA about some hacker attacks that have effectively shut-down the power for several cities outside of the US
Here’s the exact quote that brought the news in the air:
We have information, from multiple regions outside the United States, of cyber intrusions into utilities, followed by extortion demands. We suspect, but cannot confirm, that some of these attackers had the benefit of inside knowledge. We have information that cyber attacks have been used to disrupt power equipment in several regions outside the United States. In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities. We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet.
You can read more about this interesting, and frightening topic here: CNet’s news.com, or at the Register.