How 30 lines of code blew up a 27-ton generator

PLUS: The best WIRED stories from this month a year ago.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 10.02.21 In 2016, a group of Russian hackers levied an unprecedented attack on Ukraine's power grid. The hack didn't just cause a blackout—it also inflicted damage on electric equipment. Though the idea was used to devastating effect by the Russians, it was not invented by them. The physical-world effects of a cyberattack were explored by the United States government almost a decade earlier in a secret experiment in southwest Idaho. What researchers discovered that day still serves as a warning of the destructive power of a few lines of code. Read about how cybersecurity engineers blew up a 27-ton generator using a file no bigger than a GIF, plus more of the best WIRED stories from this month a year ago, below.   How 30 Lines of Code Blew Up a 27-Ton Generator A secret experiment in 2007 proved that hackers could devastate power grid equipment beyond repair—with a file no bigger than a gif. The Best Stories From This Month, Last Year A Common Plant Virus Is an Unlikely Ally in the War on Cancer Researchers have seen promising results by injecting dog and mouse tumors with the cowpea mosaic virus. Now they're aiming for a human trial. AI Is Throwing Battery Development Into Overdrive Improving batteries has always been hampered by slow experimentation and discovery processes. Machine learning is speeding it up by orders of magnitude. 'Genshin Impact' Is Too Good To Be a 'Zelda' Clone While it draws easy comparisons to Breath of the Wild, the new free-to-play fantasy RPG stands on its own. What Forest Floor Playgrounds Teach Us About Kids and Germs Finnish researchers just published the first big test of the "biodiversity hypothesis"—that exposure to the microbes in dirt is good for young immune systems. 'The Wire' Inspired a Fake Turtle Egg That Spies on Poachers Scientists 3D-printed sea turtle eggs and stuffed transmitters inside. When poachers pulled them out of nests, the devices tracked their every move. US Bike Production is Stuck in Second Gear Demand for bikes has soared in the pandemic. To spur production, the US should adopt the industrial policies from the Asian countries it relies on. GET WIRED Flash Sale: Get WIRED for just $10 $5. Get the print edition and exclusive subscriber-only content. You can't see into the future, but you can subscribe to WIRED. Subscribe now.           This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.