俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾·普京在俄羅斯聯邦議會發表國情咨文，莫斯科克里姆林宮。

假期中的新聞很少，媒體的很大一部分注意力都集中在體育賽事和瑪利亞·凱利被爆新年夜假唱等事件上。不過，在2016年年底也出現了一系列和黑客有關的故事，而這已經成為了我們這個時代最重要的政治和安全問題之一。

因此，考慮到大家可能沒有親身經歷或者不在線，我們在此匯總了五件重大網絡安全事件。它們發生的時候大家正在暢飲蛋奶酒，或者在看球賽。

1. 佛蒙特州電網（并未）遭黑客入侵

上周五，《華盛頓郵報》以醒目標題警告稱，俄羅斯已經通過佛蒙特州的一處公用設施“侵入”美國電網。這篇報道在政客和新聞機構中引發了輕微恐慌，他們擔心俄羅斯政府可能會讓美國的部分地區在寒冷的雪夜陷入黑暗之中。

所幸這篇報道有誤。實際情況是僅在佛蒙特州政府的一臺筆記本電腦上發現了源于俄羅斯的惡意軟件，而且該電腦并未和電網相連，也沒有證據顯示是俄羅斯政府植入了該惡意軟件。和其他許多媒體一樣，《華盛頓郵報》隨即推翻了自己的報道。

2. 奧巴馬政府揭發重大黑客行徑失敗

為報復俄羅斯方面干擾美國大選，白宮驅逐了35名俄羅斯外交官，并就俄方的黑客行徑發布報告。這份報告分析了兩款惡意軟件的樣本，據稱俄羅斯就是用它們展開了黑客行動。

但報告未能提出任何確鑿證據，它所說的樣本看來也只是互聯網上廣泛使用的普通軟件。當然，白宮很可能特意保留了那些較為確切的信息，以免美國情報行動的細節遭到曝光。但對網絡安全行家來說，這份報告一無是處。

3. 德國即將大選

德國正在加大網絡安全防范力度，原因是德方普遍擔心俄羅斯將故技重施，不斷地發起黑客攻擊并竊取信息，從而攪亂即將到來的德國大選。《金融時報》上周報道了此事。

德國安全部門官員表示，去年對德國聯邦議會計算機網絡的襲擊同樣來自于俄羅斯支持的黑客，其目的在于尋找影響大選的途徑。本月的早些時候，德國總理安吉拉·默克爾警告說，有跡象表明來自于俄羅斯的網絡攻擊以及虛假信息可能“在競選活動中產生一定作用”。

4. 特朗普表示將披露黑客事件詳情

唐納德·特朗普顯然改變了策略——他表示將披露近期一些黑客事件的新信息，包括“別人不知道的東西”。此前，這位當選總統一直不理睬和黑客有關的問題，還說應該讓這些成為過去。曾經聲稱“自己對黑客問題所知甚多”的特朗普這次則表示，會在本周二或周三公開上述信息。

5. 俄羅斯從哪找來這么多黑客

《紐約時報》刊登的特寫文章可以讓人們更多地了解俄羅斯如何組建起了這支制造了諸多麻煩的網絡軍隊，其中介紹了征召普通網絡罪犯的逸聞趣事，以及俄羅斯的黑客們如何組成了“地緣政治游擊隊”。絕對值得一讀。（財富中文網）

譯者：Charlie

審校：詹妮

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Russian Federal Assembly at the Moscow Kremlin. Photograph by Mikhail Metzel—TASS via Getty Images

The holidays are a slow time for news, leading much of the media to focus on stuff like sports and Mariah Carey's meltdown on New Year's Eve. But the end of 2016 also brought a spate of stories involving hacking, which has become one of the biggest political and security issues of our time.

So in case you've been away or offline, here's a summary of five significant cybersecurity stories that came out while you were quaffing eggnog or watching football:

1. Vermont's Power Grid Was (Not) Hacked

The Washington Post last Friday published an alarming headline suggesting that Russia had "penetrated" the U.S. power grid via a Vermont utility. The story touched off a minor panic as politicians and media outlets fretted that the Kremlin could plunge parts of America into cold, snowy darkness.

Fortunately, the story was wrong. It turned out that a single laptop belonging to Vermont's government contained malware of Russian origin—but the computer was not connected to the grid, and there is no evidence that the malware was placed by the Kremlin. The Post has since rebutted its own story, as have many others.

2. The Obama Administration's Big Hacking Reveal Falls Flat

The White House retaliated for Moscow's meddling with the U.S. election by expelling 35 diplomats, and by publishing a report on Russian hacking. The analysis included two examples of the malware that Russia had allegedly used to carry out the hacking schemes.

But the report failed to provide any smoking guns, and the malware examples appeared to be common bits of code that are widely available on the Internet. It's possible, of course, that the White House deliberately withheld more damning information in order to avoid revealing details about U.S. intelligence operations. But for serious cybersecurity folks, the report is a dud.

3. Germany on Edge Over Elections

Germany is ramping up its cybersecurity defenses amid widespread fears that Russia will run its familiar playbook, consisting of hacking and information, in a bid to sway the country's upcoming elections. As the FT reported last week:

German security officials have said last year’s assault on the Bundestag’s computer network was also carried out by Russia-backed hackers seeking ammunition for electoral meddling. Earlier this month, [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel warned that there were signs of internet-based attacks and misinformation campaigns coming from Russia that could “play a role in the election campaign.

4. Trump Says He'll Divulge Details About Hacking

In an apparent shift of strategy, Donald Trump said he will share new information about recent hacking incidents, including “things that other people don’t know.” Previously, the President-elect has brushed off questions about hacking and said it was time to move on. Trump, who also said "I know a lot about hacking," suggested he will disclose the information on Tuesday or Wednesday.

5. Where Russia Gets All Those Hackers

The New York Times published a feature that provides new insights into how Russia built the cyber army that's now causing so much trouble. Interesting tidbits relate to the recruitment of garden variety cyber criminals, and how Russia's hacking force now amounts to "guerrilla geopolitics." Definitely worth a read.