Foreign hackers targeted U.S. water plant in apparent malicious cyber attack, expert says
Foreign hackers caused a pump at an Illinois water plant to fail last week, according to a preliminary state report. Experts said the cyber-attack, if confirmed, would be the first known to have damaged one of the systems that supply Americans with water, electricity and other essentials of modern life.
Companies and government agencies that rely on the Internet have for years been routine targets of hackers, but most incidents have resulted from attempts to steal information or interrupt the functioning of Web sites. The incident in Springfield, Ill., would mark a departure because it apparently caused physical destruction.
The hackers apparently gained control over the software that controlled a pump in the Springfield, IL water distribution network. They used this control to repeatedly cycle the pump on and off until it failed. Whether the water supply was in danger or not is immaterial; the fact is that someone not intended to have access to this system gained access and was able to cause damage. It might be a pump today; what happens if it's a control valve that shuts off all access tomorrow?
Be prepared. While we like to talk and joke about the
Besides, having supplies stockpiled means you'll have time to load magazines and polish your colander for the end-of-the-world party...
That is all.
7 comments:
Water outages I can handle. It's when some bluntskull starts messing with the gas or petroleum pipelines and causes a breach or fire that will worry me.
Someday we will look back and marvel at all computers used to do. While we have a person sitting in a control booth manually switching breakers.
One of the biggest concerns about hacked infrastructure isn't just the loss of service, it's that it can be used easily on a large scale to create a distraction while a real attack (cyber or physical) takes place elsewhere.
Imagine what 9/11 would have been like if power to a number of US cities had been shut down at the same time. I think we'd have seen airliners shot out of the sky instead of just being ordered to land.
Off to load mags and sharpen bayonets. And where IS that colander?
Seriously, back when I worked IT at a Three Letter Agency we had air gaps between systems. Then they went to A/B switch boxes that were touted as "just as safe." Right.
Things are NOT going to be as bad as you fear. They are going to be WORSE.
This points out the 'danger' of on-line controls, and hacking the infrastructure gets a LOT easier when major stuff is online (and not well protected)...
Tens of thousands of miles, eh Jay? So.....from space, then.
Tim-
Considering that the hack probably used a satellite on its route to Springfield, um, yes.
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