THE False Flag? Global nuclear facilities 'at risk' of cyber attack

[Chad]

I saw an update from Global event alert RSOE:

Global nuclear facilities 'at risk' of cyber attack - but the article is from a gossip magazine 'Closer'

Terror warning: UK under threat from ‘deadly nuclear attack’
http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2015/10/terror-warning-uk-under-threat-from-deadly-nuclear-attack

So i find:

Global nuclear facilities 'at risk' of cyber attack

8 hours ago
From the section Technology

Image copyright AP
Image caption Iran's nuclear enrichment systems were hit by the Stuxnet virus that targeted centrifuges

The risk of a "serious cyber attack" on nuclear power plants around the world is growing, warns a report.

The civil nuclear infrastructure in most nations is not well prepared to defend against such attacks, it added.

Many of the control systems for the infrastructure were "insecure by design" because of their age, it said.

Published by the influential Chatham House think tank, the report studied cyber defences in power plants around the world over an 18-month period.
Core breach

Cyber criminals, state-sponsored hackers and terrorists were all increasing their online activity, it said, meaning that the risk of a significant net-based attack was "ever present".

Such an attack on a nuclear plant, even if small-scale or unlikely, needed to be taken seriously because of the harm that would follow if radiation were released.

In addition, it said "even a small-scale cyber security incident at a nuclear facility would be likely to have a disproportionate effect on public opinion and the future of the civil nuclear industry".

Unfortunately, research carried out for the study showed that the UK's nuclear plants and associated infrastructure were not well protected or prepared because the industry had converted to digital systems relatively recently.

This increasing digitisation and growing reliance on commercial software is only increasing the risks the nuclear industry faces.

There was a "pervading myth" that computer systems in power plants were isolated from the internet at large and because of this were immune to the kind of cyber attacks that have dogged other industries.

However, it said, this so-called "air gap" between the public internet and nuclear systems was easy to breach with "nothing more than a flash drive". It noted that the destructive Stuxnet computer virus infected Iran's nuclear facilities via this route.

The researchers for the report had also found evidence of virtual networks and other links to the public internet on nuclear infrastructure networks. Some of these were forgotten or simply unknown to those in charge of these organisations.

Already search engines that sought out critical infrastructure had indexed these links making it easy for attackers to find ways in to networks and control systems.

Keith Parker, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: "Security, including cyber security, is an absolute priority for power station operators."

"All of Britain's power stations are designed with safety in mind and are stress-tested to withstand a vast range of potential incidents," he added. "Power station operators work closely with national agencies such as the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure and other intelligence agencies to always be aware of emerging threats."

In addition, said Mr Parker, the industry's regulator continuously monitors plant safety to help protect it from any outside threats.

In June this year the International Atomic Energy Agency held its first international conference about the cyber threats facing plants and manufacturing facilities. At the conference Yukiya Amano, director of the IAEA, said both random and targeted attacks were being directed at nuclear plants.

"Staff responsible for nuclear security should know how to repel cyber-attacks and to limit the damage if systems are actually penetrated," he said in a keynote address to the conference.

The civil nuclear industry should do a better job of measuring cyber attack risks and improve the way it defends against them, according to Chatham House. Many plants examined by the report's researchers lacked preparedness for large-scale attacks that took place outside office hours.

"The nuclear industry is beginning - but struggling - to come to grips with this new, insidious threat," said Patricia Lewis, research director of Chatham House's international security programme.

And, all out today,

British nuclear power plants are vulnerable to cyber-attacks
Sead Fadilpašić

05/10/2015

Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2015/10/05/british-nuclear-power-plants-are-vulnerable-to-cyber-attacks/#ixzz3nhR5qKiu

TERROR THREAT: UK Power Stations 'at risk' from DEADLY nuclear ATTACK
BRITISH nuclear power plants are not equipped to deal with terrorist attacks, a shocking new report has claimed.
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/609929/Power-Plant-Nuclear-Attack-UK-Cyber-Terrorist

I checked the forum and sott.net and it doesn't appear to be up yet - anyway, just to make a note :)

 

[Chad]

Nuclear Power Plants Around The World Unprepared For Cyberattacks, Warns New Report

nuclear power plants A diagram showing the potential control system vulnerabilities at nuclear power plants across the world. Chatham House

http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2015/10/05/nuclear-power-plants.PNG

(image attached below)

By Avaneesh Pandey @avaneeshp88 a.pandey@ibtimes.com on October 05 2015 6:18 AM EDT



Nuclear power plants across the world are getting increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks as they increase their reliance on digital systems and “off-the-shelf” software, Chatham House -- a London-based nonprofit -- warned, in a new report. A picture taken on September 22, 2015 shows the nuclear power plant of Civaux, near Poitiers, Western France. Getty images/AFP/GUILLAUME SOUVANT

Nuclear power plants across the world are getting increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks as they increase their reliance on digital systems and “off-the-shelf” software, Chatham House -- a London-based nonprofit -- warned, in a new report. Moreover, because of an “element of denial,” several nuclear facilities have failed to put in place mechanisms to protect themselves against digital attacks.

“There is a pervading myth that nuclear facilities are ‘air gapped’ -- or completely isolated from the public internet -- and that this protects them from cyber attack,” the report, which analyzed cyber defenses in power plants across the world in an 18-month period, said. “Yet not only can air gaps be breached with nothing more than a flash drive, but the commercial benefits of internet connectivity mean that nuclear facilities may now have virtual private networks and other connections installed, sometimes undocumented or forgotten by contractors and other legitimate third party operators.”

The report noted that the Stuxnet computer virus -- discovered in 2010 after having successfully infected Iran’s nuclear facilities -- had been uploaded through a flash drive.

In addition, even as vulnerability of nuclear power plants increases -- partly because of their outdated control systems -- hacking is becoming even easier to conduct with the availability of automatic cyberattack packages that can be purchased online.

In some cases, the lack of cybersecurity is particularly glaring. Officials interviewed for the report said that some nuclear facilities did not even bother changing the default passwords on their computer systems. As a result, hackers can gain access to nuclear facilities more easily than it should be possible -- just by entering a standard factory-set password such as 1234.

“The infrequency of cyber security incident disclosure at nuclear facilities makes it difficult to assess the true extent of the problem and may lead nuclear industry personnel to believe that there are few incidents,” the report found, identifying it as a major industry-wide challenge. “Moreover, limited collaboration with other industries or information-sharing means that the nuclear industry tends not to learn from other industries that are more advanced in this field.”

Japan (3) Operators restart the nuclear reactor at the central control room of the Kyushu Electric Power Sendai nuclear power plant in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima prefecture, on Japan's southern island of Kyushu on August 11, 2015. Getty Images/JIJI PRESS/AFP

In order to protect themselves from potentially deadly cyberattacks, the civil nuclear sector needs to work on an international cybersecurity risk management strategy that ensures a flexible and coordinated response, the report recommended.

“The cybersecurity threat requires an organizational response by the civil nuclear sector, which includes, by necessity, knowledgeable leadership at the highest levels, and dynamic contributions by management, staff and the wider community of stakeholders, including members of the security and safety communities,” the report said.

 

[RedFox]

Hmm....the first thing that comes to mind (beyond more fear creation) is the attraction of meteorites to chemical factories, along the ionized smoke trail.
Given quite a few of these reactors leak ionizing radiation, they probably have a similar (if slightly weaker) trail into the atmosphere.

 

[Chad]

Hmm....the first thing that comes to mind (beyond more fear creation) is the attraction of meteorites to chemical factories, along the ionized smoke trail.
Given quite a few of these reactors leak ionizing radiation, they probably have a similar (if slightly weaker) trail into the atmosphere.

It was strange that the articles were focusing primarily on the Uk, but then that's probably the fear porn part. Plus they need to take Russia off the headlines, as well as there has been chatter from 'the army chiefs' that scrapping trident will lead to a mutiny.

Thankfully Sott's on the Cosmic angle: http://www.sott.net/article/303342-SOTT-Exclusive-More-mysterious-high-rise-building-explosions-is-there-a-cosmic-source-of-ignition SOTT Exclusive: More mysterious high-rise building explosions - is there a 'cosmic' source of ignition?

And since it was about UK it also reminded me of:
Completely mad and a threat to UK 'National Security'? Jeremy Corbyn doesn't want to cause a nuclear holocaust?? http://www.sott.net/article/303231-Completely-mad-and-a-threat-to-UK-National-Security-Jeremy-Corbyn-doesnt-want-to-cause-a-nuclear-holocaust