Nicole Perlroth

They ratcheted their attack up several notches. Ten of its elite hacking divisions started firing the zero days and back doors at thousands. We're talking tens, hundreds of thousands of systems. That let them and really anyone who now knew how to scan for that zero day in backdoor come back at any time and do whatever they pleased.

They ratcheted their attack up several notches. Ten of its elite hacking divisions started firing the zero days and back doors at thousands. We're talking tens, hundreds of thousands of systems. That let them and really anyone who now knew how to scan for that zero day in backdoor come back at any time and do whatever they pleased.

I remember calling you the day that was discovered and saying my usual help. And you said that they were exploiting these systems with an aggression that you hadn't seen before. And well, tell us what it looked like and why it was the most aggressive operation you'd seen from China.

I remember calling you the day that was discovered and saying my usual help. And you said that they were exploiting these systems with an aggression that you hadn't seen before. And well, tell us what it looked like and why it was the most aggressive operation you'd seen from China.

That was John Holtquist. Now, it's easy to get lost in the technicality here, but really, it's hard to overstate the magnitude of this attack. In the real world, it would be like spies or mercenaries robbing thousands of American homes and dousing them with fuel on the way out so that any digital arsonist with a match could come back at any time and burn it all down.

That was John Holtquist. Now, it's easy to get lost in the technicality here, but really, it's hard to overstate the magnitude of this attack. In the real world, it would be like spies or mercenaries robbing thousands of American homes and dousing them with fuel on the way out so that any digital arsonist with a match could come back at any time and burn it all down.

The situation was so dire that the Justice Department did something it had never done before, authorizing one of the broadest FBI search warrants on record. The warrant gave the FBI the ability to covertly go into any infected exchange system, patch it, and remove China's backdoor.

The situation was so dire that the Justice Department did something it had never done before, authorizing one of the broadest FBI search warrants on record. The warrant gave the FBI the ability to covertly go into any infected exchange system, patch it, and remove China's backdoor.

Now, it's important to note here that this was a tad controversial, and there were many who screamed government overreach. But given the severity of China's attack, the potential for mass disruption, most privacy activists seemed to give the government a pass. And that attack, I'm sorry to say, was just the opening salvo. Here's Kevin Mandia.

Now, it's important to note here that this was a tad controversial, and there were many who screamed government overreach. But given the severity of China's attack, the potential for mass disruption, most privacy activists seemed to give the government a pass. And that attack, I'm sorry to say, was just the opening salvo. Here's Kevin Mandia.

They're no longer the most polite player in cyber.

They're no longer the most polite player in cyber.

So far, we've trained our eye across the Pacific, but as all this was going on, there was arguably a far more sinister disturbance in the digital world order. One that experts in industry and classified government skiffs were watching with horror.

So far, we've trained our eye across the Pacific, but as all this was going on, there was arguably a far more sinister disturbance in the digital world order. One that experts in industry and classified government skiffs were watching with horror.

When digital historians look back, there's no doubt that December 23rd, 2015 will go down as the day everything changed. That day, just ahead of Christmas Eve, Russian hackers crossed the digital Rubicon, shutting off power to Western Ukraine. And for good measure, they shut down emergency phone lines too. The power wasn't out long in Ukraine, less than six hours.

When digital historians look back, there's no doubt that December 23rd, 2015 will go down as the day everything changed. That day, just ahead of Christmas Eve, Russian hackers crossed the digital Rubicon, shutting off power to Western Ukraine. And for good measure, they shut down emergency phone lines too. The power wasn't out long in Ukraine, less than six hours.

But it was just long enough to send a message. We can shut you down at any time of our choosing. They followed it up one year later with a second cyber attack on Ukraine's power grid. Only this time, they shut off power to the nation's heart, Kiev, in a display that made the White House wince. Until that point, covering these attacks was like watching an international game of chicken.

But it was just long enough to send a message. We can shut you down at any time of our choosing. They followed it up one year later with a second cyber attack on Ukraine's power grid. Only this time, they shut off power to the nation's heart, Kiev, in a display that made the White House wince. Until that point, covering these attacks was like watching an international game of chicken.

With every new attack, you watch spy agencies pushing, pushing, testing for that red line that never came. But Russia's twin attacks on Ukraine's grid changed the whole game. This careful gentleman's game of spy versus spy had come to an abrupt end. We were no longer in the gray zone. We'd entered the red zone.

With every new attack, you watch spy agencies pushing, pushing, testing for that red line that never came. But Russia's twin attacks on Ukraine's grid changed the whole game. This careful gentleman's game of spy versus spy had come to an abrupt end. We were no longer in the gray zone. We'd entered the red zone.