Former Burlington Mayor and Coffey County Commissioner Gene Merry remember the news about a hack of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power facility’s computer system in 2017. At the time, the FBI and Homeland Security said the hack was aimed at corporate computers, not the ones that run the plant.Until Thursday, Merry did not know Russian FSB officers devised that intrusion.”It’s good to know,” Merry said. The longtime Burlington businessman and public official reiterated full confidence in the team at the nuclear power facility, operated by Evergy, one day after federal prosecutors revealed three Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers targeted the plant in 2017.Evergy released a statement Thursday saying at no point did attackers ever gain access to the cyber systems that operate the facility or power grid.”I have all the faith in the world of this security at the plant and the safety of the plant,” Merry said.Still, Merry said it is a good reminder for everyone to remain on guard, especially now with the War in Ukraine.A cybersecurity expert agrees.”There will be more and more this kind of attack coming up in the future,” said Yongzhi Joe Wang, assistant professor of computer science and information systems at Park University.Wang said the Wolf Creek hack should remind the energy sector along with companies everywhere to make sure they have the most upgraded software and education about malware attacks for employees.He also said cybersecurity insurance is important for companies.”Then, at least they can get some payment from the insurance company,” he said.The Wolf Creek hacking incident is just one of more than 17,000 hacks into unique devices in the United States and around the world, according to the federal indictment released Thursday.

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