Apparent cyberattack destroys pump at Ill. water utility

[Bosonic]

Source: Networkworld

A pump at a public water utility in Springfield, Ill. was recently destroyed after cyberattackers gained access to a SCADA system controlling the device, according to a security expert who said he obtained an official report about the incident.

A spokesman from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today confirmed the pump incident, but said it's too soon to say whether it was the result of a cyberattack.

"DHS and the FBI are gathering facts surrounding the report of a water pump failure in Springfield Illinois," Peter Boogaard, deputy press secretary at the DHS, said in an emailed statement. "At this time there is no credible corroborated data that indicates a risk to critical infrastructure entities or a threat to public safety."

Meanwhile, in a separate case, a hacker named "pr0f" earlier today posted several images on Pastebin purporting to show access to a "really insecure" Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system at the city of South Houston.

Read more: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/111811-apparent-cyberattack-destroys-pump-at-253300.html?hpg1=bn

[benld74]

1. Twas just someone pointing out the problem,, to authorities a White Hatter thank god,,

[watajob]

2. Now, THAT's scary!

[lonestarnot]

9. No shit.

:scared:

[PSPS]

3. Why would a water pump's controls be on the internet in the first place?

I do believe there were water pumps before there was an Internet and they did their job just fine.

[Thor_MN]

4. Because having monitoring staff at each facility is a hell of a lot more expensive?

:shrug:

[Omaha Steve]

5. We use SCADA at my plant

It is forbidden to have a PC with net access AND have SCADA on the same PC!

[PSPS]

6. I don't know about "hell of a lot more," but this story belies such an explanation anyway.

Like I said, water pumps seemed to do just fine before the internet, and I doubt the cost to "monitor water pumps" was any more expensive in those days.

[Omaha Steve]

11. It is more than just monitoring

Pumps have set points to run and stop. They also have to run or stop as conditions change. You also have variables like a power outage, storms, temps below freezing, etc. Certain items set off an alarm on the radio to get your attention anywhere in the plant.

There are over a thousand valves and maybe 100 pumps in my waste water treatment plant. The most important ones are automated. We can handle about 60 million gallons tops over 24 hours.

My plant will be essentially rebuilt over the next 10 years with an expanded capacity.

[Zorro]

7. This is the face of 21st century cyberwarfare

Take down an adversary's infrastructure with the click of a mouse.

The US is woefully unprepared for such future attacks.

[sendero]

8. Companies..

.....still don't take computer security seriously. They will someday.

[bemildred]

10. Our government has become chicken little.

The sky is always in danger of falling,