International Atomic Energy Agency Director Yukiya Amano disclosed Monday that a cyber-attack did disrupt a nuclear power plant, saying that the threat of future cyber disruptions was very serious.
“This is not an imaginary risk. The issue of cyber-attacks on nuclear-related facilities or activities should be taken very seriously. We never know if we know everything or if it's the tip of the iceberg,” news service Reuters quoted Amano as saying in an interview in Germany.
Amano's visit to Germany included a meeting with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. His remarks to reporters, however, did not include any details of the incident.
Amano said the hacking incident did cause problems at the power plant, but did not cause it to be shut down.
“It actually happened and it caused some problems,” he said. In response, he said, the plant “needed to take some precautionary measures.”