Intruders Gains Access to Dam's Industrial Control System, US Power Grid

[silicon_toad2000]

According to the Wall Street Journal, cyber intruders based in Iran
managed to gain access to an industrial control system of a flood
control dam near New York City. They found an opening through a cellular
modem. While the intruders did not take control of the dam, they did
look around inside the system. In a related story, intruders also gained
access to networks that operate the US power grid and stole passwords
and power plant schematics.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_INFRASTRUCTURE_POWER_GRID_CYBERATTACKS_ABRIDGED?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-12-21-03-26-40

[GhostShip]

As always: whilst the US continues to allow connectivity through the public internet to its critical utilities and military assets we will continue to see such wild claims being made, simple lesson guys, take it offline and use fixed leased lines to connect your infrastructure then no one can bother you.

I hate repeating myself, this is about the 15th time now.

[silicon_toad2000]

i reckon there's just an echo

[White Stripes]

The hackers have gained access to an aging, outdated power system. Many of the substations and equipment that move power across the U.S. are decrepit and were never built with network security in mind; hooking them up to the Internet over the last decade has given hackers new backdoors in.

i cant help but wonder just exactly what it is that so old it can be networked but 'wasnt built with network security in mind'


@GS leased lines in the US are stupidly expensive and still somewhat connected to the internet since the PSTN in general is...

[GhostShip]

Private leased lines are most certainly not connected to the pstn in the UK, no wonder the US is struggling with the basics of security 

Given the scope for disaster is it really too expensive to secure the nations key assets ?

I get bored of seeing the scare stories when for what amounts to peanuts the nations cyber security expenses can be reduced exponentially.

[White Stripes]

the US spends most of its money on the military... the infrastructure of the US has been neglected for a very long time (backbone of the phone system is on the net since its cheaper)... we have potholes a plenty and unsafe bridges.. phone lines that become unusable when it rains and highspeed internet if you're in the lucky side of town... (if you are unlucky and want faster than dialup, satellite is the only real option)

next town over has a water treatment system that hasnt been updated in so long that when it rains, shit, and who knows what else, gets dumped into the nearby river.... they started actually fixing it when the EPA finally had enough...

but of course we still have the money to fight wars we never win...

</rant>

[Pri]

With all the money USA has they can afford private lines.