HACKERS have targeted US nuclear power stations and other energy facilities in recent months.

The intrusions happened in May and June and allegedly hit companies including Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, which operates a nuclear power plant in Kansas.

The New York Times has published excerpts of an “urgent report” issued in late June by the Department of Homeland Security.

It did not say how many firms were targeted and added the origin of the hack was unknown.

Some experts believed an “advanced persistent threat” actor was responsible.

This is the language hacking experts often use to describe government-backed hackers and its already being claimed that Russia was involved.

The DHS report carried an urgent “amber warning,” the second-highest rating for threat severity, the newspaper said.

The Times quoted Wolf Creek officials as saying no operations systems had been affected.

The corporate network and the internet were separate from the network that runs the plant, these officials were quoted as saying.

The report did not specify if the attacks were aimed at industrial espionage or causing damage.

But the report said the hackers “appeared determined to map out computer networks for future attacks”.

Experts recently said hackers could take control of Britain’s atomic weapons and use them to start a “catastrophic” global nuclear war.

It’s feared that cyber attacks can crash economies, destroy governments and bring society to its knees.

This article originally appeared on The Sun.