Saturday, July 1, 2017

Cyber-terrorism targets nuclear?


Reuters is reporting that nuclear is being targeted by a hacking campaign. The article is exceedingly ambiguous and truncated and simply indicates that the US Dept of Homeland Security and FBI warned businesses across sectors of a hacking campaign aimed at "harvesting credentials":
Jim Finkle (2017, June 30). U.S. warns businesses of hacking campaign against nuclear, energy firms. Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-energy-idUSKBN19L2Z9

Hackers used tainted "phishing" emails to "harvest credentials" so they could gain access to networks of their targets, the joint analysis report seen by Reuters late on Friday said.
I had thought US nuclear plants weren't connected directly to the Internet and therefore were not susceptible to external system hacks. Seems that is not quite true because nuclear "control" systems are apparently connected and vulnerable

Chris Shipp and Jonathan Pollet (February 3, 2015). Hacking control systems are not immune. Valve Magazone, http://www.valvemagazine.com/magazine/sections/features/6480-hacking-control-systems-are-not-immune.html

In January 2003, computers at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant were infected with the Slammer worm2—a piece of malicious code that spread faster than any before or since. This particular infection is noteworthy for two reasons: 
First, the code was only able to spread because computer owners did not apply security patches in a timely manner. (Microsoft had released a security patch to mitigate the vulnerability six months before Slammer began its historical spread). 
Second, during the ensuing investigation, personnel at the plant indicated they thought they were protected from such attacks because they had a firewall. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding with respect to cyber­security is still prevalent—especially in the control system community.

8 comments:

  1. Nuclear reactors are apocalyptic albatroses. They are a symptom of our mass insanity.

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  2. Some people, perhaps most people, have the impression that the political structure of their society is sensitive to their needs and wants. However, there does not seem much evidence for this. It might be more accurate to say that the persons who actually do hold power are a bit crazy. And oriented in a more criminal direction. How many members of Congress are really honest and trustworthy? How many will turn away from campaign funds in order to take a safer and more sane path? We should have no illusions though about some day having a government of, by and for the people as that is not going to happen. Still we seem to have been spending a lot of time at a low point governmentally. It started with George H. W., got a real push down with Clinton, proceeded with George W. and hit bottom with Obama. Hillary would have been fatal. The USA could sink no lower, thank God.
    Anyway we now are entering a grand solar minimum which historically has meant a big chill for the planet, so that may be the future preoccupation for us all. [There were four of these minimums between about 1300 and about 1800.]

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  3. 1800 tons of spent-highly radioactive fuel in concrete at San onofre. The tides is ebbing ever closer to this radioactive mess. Another Fukushima in the making.
    http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-stranded-nuclear-waste-20170702-htmlstory.html

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  4. The world would be a lot better off without Nucleoape leaders like Putin, Abe, Trump, May and the neonazi nucleoapes in Ukraine.

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  5. End 14 billion nuke boondogle in sc . Pay back ratepayers

    http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article157587959.html

    Ga Nuke plant bill.skyrockets to 29billion
    http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1962YH

    This is what happens when we get a guy like Trump, who gives corporations and deadly nuclearists the red light to steal us blind and poison us all. To build more reactors of mass destruction and mass financial ruin.

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  6. Meant green light sorry

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