Could Cyber Terrorists Attack Our Company?
Article in: ControlGlobal, June 2010
The majority of control system cyber threats are unintentional, as discussed in this article that summarizes data from the Repository of Industrial Security Incidents (RISI). Tips on how to start reducing the risk of cyber threats are provided.
Could Cyber Terrorists Attack Our Company?
Maybe, but perhaps this isn't the best question to ask. When cyber-related events cause outages and plant shutdowns—whether they were caused by accident, employee, hacker or terrorist—the first question should be, "What made our system unstable and susceptible, and what can we do to prevent it from happening again"?
Some recent headlines have read: "Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies," "China and Russia Hack into U.S. Power Grid," "Russian Hackers Vandalize BTC Pipeline Data Servers," and most recently, "CIA Director Says Cyber Attack Could Be Next Pearl Harbor." With news like this how can anyone sleep at night?
The reality is that most of what is published regarding control system cybersecurity in mainstream media is over-dramatized. While the scenarios painted in these stories may be valid, they are often void of detail regarding these so-called incidents. The result is that the government, public, media and control system operators can end up focusing on possible "long shot" perpetrators and not on the very real day-to-day risks of modern network-based control systems.....
E.J. Byres, J. Cusimano; "Could Cyber Terrorists Attack Our Company?", ControlGlobal, June 2010