'Catastrophic' cyberattack could hit utilities

Hackers are increasingly targeting electric, natural gas and other vital utilities, threatening a disaster of epic proportions that experts say firms are doing too little to guard against.

"We will see catastrophic outages," PG&E Chief Information Security Officer James Sample warned state regulators at a recent forum, though not specifically referring to his company. "We are dealing with a very intelligent adversary." The threat is regarded by U.S. officials and others as among the most worrisome the nation faces. A cyberattack could so severely damage a utility that millions of people might be left without power for months, experts say, shutting down water and transportation systems, threatening the sick and elderly, and causing billions of dollars in damage.