This summer some of us noted the 10th anniversary of the discovery of Stuxnet. That is when it became known to the public. Since 2010 we have learned that earlier forms of Stuxnet were being developed and tested on the target several years earlier.[1] To commemorate this anniversary several articles and presentations have been published. […]
Category: Critical Infrastructure
Perhaps one step backward in building CIP capacity?
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result – Attributed to A. Einstein A recent post titled “Regarding (AA20-049A) Ransomware Impacting Pipeline Operations” on SCADASEC pointed out the FUD promoting aspects of an alert published by The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at […]
New definition – “cyberg”
[Updated 2033 hrs Central: I’ve made a few tweaks to the definition.] I’ve thought of ingenious ways of creating words that are both funny and meaningful. Reason for this way of thinking is the ever-growing number of cyber threats, attacks and vulnerabilities, and how little we (as a society in general) are doing anything about […]
Targeting Control and Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS): new escalation of cyber threats to critical [energy] infrastructure
“It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” – Winston Churchill Introduction Industrial Control and Safety systems play an important part in insuring that the physical processes taking place in a manufacturing plant, power generation facility or other segment of critical infrastructure do […]
Computer Science programs may fall short in contributing to critical infrastructure protection
“There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?” – Advice given to a young man in the 1967 Film, “The Graduate” (1) In the 1967 film, “The Graduate” an older man gives insider advice to a young person struggling to decide on a future career. I was in […]
Attribution: An impossible/inconvenient task or a way to get an APT off one’s back?
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” – From the film Wizard of Oz, 1939 Recently on the SCADASEC list there have been discussions of reports of cyber attacks on the critical infrastructures of other states with the naming of the state that is responsible. Some say attribution of responsibility is far less […]
Towards a Cyber Safe Critical Infrastructure: Answering the 3 questions*
What are the main challenges in implementing cyber security policies? There are several challenges in developing and most importantly, in implementing cyber security policies. However most successful efforts will be judged according to the way the following 3 important questions are answered: 1. What to protect? 2. From what cyber threats? 3. How, considering that […]
ICS cybersecurity at the crossroads: heading toward cyber peace or towards a “duty to hack”?
The year is ending and there have been several unsettling events in cyberspace this past year to reflect upon. They all seemed to have come together for me this past week as I completed my speaking engagements in Vilnius and in Garmische-Partenkirchen. The first conference was in Vilnius with the title “Baltic Energy Summit 2017 […]
Complex control systems used by ships at sea are subject to the same kinds of accidents and challenges.
“This is where you talk about fleets coming to a stop. Our ships are floating SCADA systems” – Capt. Mark Hagerott (ret.), Deputy director of cybersecurity for the U.S.N. Academy (1) Many years ago I had the good fortune to have two good friends who both owned wooden (African Mahogany) sailing boats. One was a […]
Spanish Civil War 1930’s Déjà vu and today’s cyber experiments on critical infrastructure.
Had a very productive training and tabletop exercise during my Center’s organized week-long event in Kiev, Ukraine. For more info on what we did in Kiev see ( https://enseccoe.org/en/events/268/tabletop-exercise-coherent-resilience-2017-core-4/details ) (1) I will share some of the “take-aways” from this week long event which included the participation of Ukrainian government, energy sector operators and private […]