Hacker hits on U.S. power, nuclear targets spiked in '12

(CNN/Money) America’s power, water, and nuclear systems are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals seeking to gain access to some of the nation’s most critical infrastructure.

The number of attacks reported to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity response team grew by 52% in 2012, according to a recent report from the team. There were 198 attacks brought to the agency’s attention last year, several of which resulted in successful break-ins.

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An earlier report from DHS sketched in details on some of those successes. An unidentified group of hackers targeting natural gas pipeline companies gained access to the corporate systems of several of their targets and “exfiltrated” — that’s security-speak for “stole” — data on how their control systems work.