Record of the Press · 2012–Present
Released to the public · 31 OCT 2026File TBL-0018
RETRACTED

Washington Post: Russian hackers 'penetrated' the US grid via a Vermont utility

30 DEC 2016 · The Washington Post
Screenshot of the page as published at adn.com
EXHIBIT A — Page capture from adn.com. Click to open the source.

■ The claim

Citing unnamed U.S. officials, The Washington Post reported that code tied to a Russian hacking operation had been found inside a Vermont utility, which it said showed that Russian hackers had penetrated the U.S. electricity grid.

■ What actually happened

Burlington Electric said it had found suspicious traffic on a single laptop that was not connected to its grid systems, and that this kind of traffic had been seen elsewhere in the country. The Post changed its headline and appended an editor's note saying an earlier version had wrongly reported a grid penetration. A follow-up said the utility may not have been targeted by Russia at all, and that the malware found was a common commercial strain.

■ The proof

Washington Post editor's note (Dec. 31, 2016) acknowledging that the hacked computer was not attached to the grid, together with Burlington Electric's public statement.

■ Original reporting

■ Corrections, findings & records

■ Wayback Machine copies

Stories sometimes get edited after publication. These links open the Internet Archive's earliest snapshot of each original.

Who it helped: DemocratsInflated the Russia-threat story after the 2016 election.

■ Grade

RETRACTED: The outlet itself retracted, corrected, or settled. How we grade →