Threat rising of 'nightmare scenario' hacking attack on nuke plant, U.N. warns

UNITED NATIONS – The "nightmare scenario" is rising for a hacking attack on a nuclear power plant's computer system that causes the uncontrolled release of radiation, the United Nations' deputy chief warned Thursday. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told a Security Council meeting that extremists and "vicious nonstate groups" are actively seeking weapons of mass destruction "and these weapons are increasingly accessible." Nonstate actors can already create mass disruption using cybertechnologies -- and hacking a nuclear plant would be a "nightmare scenario," he said. The open council meeting focused on ways to stop the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons by extremist groups and criminals. Members unanimously approved a resolution to strengthen the work of the council committee monitoring what countries are doing to prevent "nonstate actors" from acquiring or using weapons of mass destruction, known as WMDs.