SECURITY FEATURE CUSTOM RANSOMWARE TARGETS INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS
Cybersecurity researchers have revealed the development of a custom form of ransomware targeting industrial systems. The malware and subsequent attack on a simulated water treatment plant were designed to highlight how cyber attackers could disrupt key services which cater for our critical needs such as energy providers, water management utilities, HVAC systems or escalator controllers. Three IT security experts discuss this potential threat:
Stephen Gates, chief research intelligence analyst, NSFOCUS International Business: “One of the greatest threats to SCADA implementations and the industrial control systems (ICS) they regulate is the loss of view and control over these critical components. Anything that causes a denial of service for operators can result in scary scenarios. From systems running completely out of control on their own to operators making wrong decisions due their loss of view, these situations are disasters in the making. Due to the primitive security measures
implemented on most ICS technologies and the antiquated operating systems and applications in use the likelihood of a ransomware infection is quite higher than most would like to admit.”
Javvad Malik, security advocate, AlienVault: “We’ve seen ransomware grow rapidly and there is growing attraction to hit more critical targets such as hospitals that are more likely to pay larger sums quickly. In that regard it is no stretch to imagine SCADA systems are on attacker wish lists. However, many of them will be concerned about the level of scrutiny such an attack could place on them. Many ransomware attackers are cyber criminals looking to make easy money and probably don’t want the attention associated with being labelled a ‘cyber’ terrorist or having declared an act of war. “A further reason why we possibly
haven’t seen such attacks is that SCADA systems have typically been segregated and not publicly accessible. However, there are several factors that indicate that the likelihood of such an attack will increase over time. The scope of what is deemed critical national infrastructure is increasing as is a reliance on the internet to keep systems running which results in more systems being exposed. There is the drive toward ‘smart cities’
which will further expose critical systems to the public internet. What this means is that even if attackers can’t compromise SCADA systems directly they can likely
Stephen Gates
compromise systems that SCADA rely on thus having a similar effect.” Mark James, IT security specialist, ESET: “Any threat that can have real world consequences is something that needs to be addressed and monitored closely. A lot of the malware we see and hear about is designed in such a way that it spreads and propagates looking for viable targets but targeted malware is very different. “Usually it is configured and aimed at a
Javvad Malik
particular industry or sector. With so much of our industry digitally operated or maintained this could prove in its worst case scenario very bad indeed. The same rules apply to any area that may be the target of ransomware; it has to be installed and be able to gain complete control. With the right levels of security we can limit its attack vector and have mechanical failsafes to override anything software can instigate. All environments in our digital world are susceptible to attack and need to be protected. “Making sure operating systems,
applications and security programs are kept up-to-date is one of the first lines of defence and one that often is overlooked or just not possible on bespoke systems designed to do a single task or job.”
Mark James
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