It Looks Like Pagers Are Still Common In Nuclear Power Plants and This Is a Great Threat To Security
It seems that nuclear ability plants and other like critical infrastructure may be vulnerable to hacking due to their reliance on ancient technology which many youngsters don't even recognize today: pagers. According to a recent report pagers are still being used past nuclear power institute workers who use these to send messages and alerts virtually plant operations and functions. The pagers may be very comfortable to use simply the danger is that these communications are non secure at all and can easily be intercepted.
The interception
Researchers from the tech security firm, Trend Micro, collected nearly 55 1000000 pages (pager letters) that had been sent over Usa airwaves during a 4 month menstruation earlier this year. They intercepted extremely sensitive communication from nuclear plants, chemical plants, defence contractors and other such sensitive organizations. Shocking? There is more. Apparently this interception is extremely easy and anyone could take a good snooping around in these facilities if they wanted to. The researchers wrote in their report, "Unfortunately, we discovered that communication through pagers is not secure at all. Since pager messages are typically unencrypted, attackers tin view pager messages even at a altitude – the but thing attackers need is a combination of some know-how on software-defined radio (SDR) and US$20 for a dongle."
The Danger they bring
The earliest pagers could only send numeric data back and forth merely afterwards on, the pagers were modified to be able to send text messages as well. This was before mobile phones and SMS took over. These text communications are the ones that are problematic. Researchers refer to these as 'passive intelligence' equally they can surrender data to anyone who may be 'listening' in. The written report claims, "Pages, it turns out, are considered a source of high quality passive intelligence. During iv months of ascertainment, nosotros saw letters containing information on contact persons, locations inside manufacturers and electricity plants, [and] thresholds set in industrial control systems." Researchers said while considering nuclear plants, most of the information that they got from the interception included conversations betwixt the staff plus automatic messages that were sent between the systems. Incidents like pumping catamenia rates in the plant, leaks in the plant, information in nuclear contamination were besides among the information received.
This may seem very harmless data only co-ordinate to experts if this information is used in combination with employee names, commitment tracking numbers, passwords etc, you lot will take enough intelligence to start an assault! "Noesis of problems within the establish, similar small-scale mechanical failures, etc. can exist creatively used by determined attackers to craft social technology attacks that volition appear highly believable because of prior reconnaissance," the authors of the report write. "Less likely but also plausible, would exist for highly skilled attackers to make utilize of the specific issues inside, for instance, a nuclear plant, to trigger some form of sabotage, later on they have gained physical access."
History of vulnerabilities
This isn't the starting time fourth dimension that nosotros take come across technological vulnerabilities endangering facilities and institutions. Earlier this yr in April, operators of Germany's Gundremmingen nuclear power institute said that the plan had been infected with several computer viruses. It doesn't end here. Two months ago a course of malware was discovered that targeted governments, military sites and corporations and this malware had been present in systems for near 5 years before it was actually detected. Dan Goodin at Ars Technica explained, "Role of the appeal is the ability of pagers to communicate in areas where cellular frequencies are weak or nonexistent, often with extremely low ability requirements. Another reason, no doubt, is the tendency in sure industries to employ dangerously blowsy equipment. If these companies tin't curb these practices on their ain, regulators should exercise it for them."
Hopefully the pager outcome will exist easier t solve than the cyber attacks we face nowadays.
source
Source: https://wccftech.com/pagers-common-nuclear-power-plants-great-threat-security/
Posted by: warfieldpasters.blogspot.com
0 Response to "It Looks Like Pagers Are Still Common In Nuclear Power Plants and This Is a Great Threat To Security"
Post a Comment