U.S. military hackers penetrated Kremlin's command systems, media report

U.S. military hackers have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and the Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by secret American cyber weapons should the U.S. deem it necessary, NBC News reported citing senior intelligence official and top-secret documents.

American officials have long said publicly that Russia, China and other nations may have probed and left hidden malware on parts of U.S critical infrastructure, "preparing the battlefield," in military parlance, for cyber attacks that could turn out the lights or turn off the internet across major cities. It's been widely assumed that the U.S. has done the same thing. The documents reviewed by NBC News — along with remarks by a senior U.S. intelligence official — confirm that.

U.S. officials continue to assume that Russia will use its cyber capabilities to disrupt next week's presidential election. U.S. intelligence officials do not expect Russia to attack critical infrastructure — which many believe would be an act of war — but they do anticipate so-called cyber mischief, including the possible release of fake documents and the proliferation of bogus social media accounts designed to spread misinformation.