Moran: Reports of Wolf Creek cyberattacks "deeply concerning"

"Deeply concerning and a serious threat to national security."

That's how Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) describes

and other similar facilities across the country.

"I am working with the appropriate authorities to learn more about the cyberattacks at Wolf Creek and ways in which our federal government can work more closely with the private sector to protect our critical infrastructure systems from cyberattacks," Moran said.

Pointing out that energy companies "fuel the American economy," Moran stressed they must be protected from "bad actors" trying to disrupt them.

On Thursday, the New York Times reported Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation near Burlington was named in a report issued last week by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The New York Times obtained a copy of the report, which they say was confirmed by security experts who were responding the attacks.

A spokesperson for Wolf Creek told 13 NEWS there has been "absolutely no operational impact" on the facility.

According to

, the hackers have been working since May to penetrate the computer networks of companies that operation nuclear and other energy facilities, along with manufacturing plants. The New York Times report says targets were both in the U.S. and in other countries.

While the origin of the attack is not known, two people familiar with the investigation told the New York Times that the hackers' techniques mimic a Russian group known as "Energetic Bear," which has been tied to attacks on energy entities since 2012.

reported Saturday that the U.S. government had warned industrial firms about a hacking campaign targeting the nuclear and energy sectors, but the report provided to the firms did not name any specific victims.