WASHINGTON (AP) — Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Tuesday that "state-sponsored" or criminal hackers are targeting U.S. nuclear power plants and other energy providers, but said the government has resources to safeguard the nation's electric grid.

Perry told Fox Business Network that the threat of cyberattacks on the electric grid "is real, it's ongoing and we shouldn't be surprised when you think of the world we live in today."

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security told energy providers last week that hackers may be trying to breach their computer systems. Hackers appear to have tr...