FEATURE | THE YEAR OF THE HACK
THE YEAR OF THE HACK
We take a look back at the events of the last twelve months and reflect upon what they mean for FMs and the industry as a whole.
In the last year we have seen Jennifer Lawrence nude, Sony films leaked and security breaches at a power plants that have caused thousands in damage, with a potential for loss of life that doesn’t bear thinking about. So it begs the question, what can FMs do to protect themselves against cyber attacks?
In October last year iCloud was ‘hacked’ as individual accounts were targeted in what appeared to be a direct attack, using an app called Find My iPhone. The main issue with this application was that it did not have a limit on the number of password attempts made, where most would allow a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ rule, before locking you out of the programme. Therefore, the hackers had infinite time to guess a password and access the target’s personal information.
This flaw has now been fixed by Apple, and is restricted to five attempts, but given the lack of attention many people pay to securing their devices; accessing the information may have been a lot easier than you would initially think. Even more worrying, is the thought that many of us use the same password combinations for any number of personal accounts and applications, so the unlimited trials could have led to hackers obtaining information much more sensitive than just some nude pictures.
Then we have the threats made to Sony, by North Korea, surrounding the release of the film “The Interview” with Seth Rogan and James Franco, in which the pair intend to assassinate the country’s leader. On November 24th 2014, the computer networks of Sony Pictures Entertainment were hacked by an anonymous group identifying themselves as the "Guardians of Peace".
The hackers leaked internal emails, employee records and unreleased Sony films. The North Korean government denied involvement in the hack, but in December, further materials were leaked, including a demand that Sony cancel the movie.
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Intimidation tactics were used; a threat was made on the New York Premiere of the film, which was subsequently cancelled, with the film being pulled from a number of cinema complexes worldwide.
After much back-pedalling from the ‘Guardians of Peace’ who allegedly Okayed the movie on the premise it didn’t glorify the death of Kim Jon Un “too much”, the film was eventually released in February. Although the threats thankfully turned out to be unfounded, the hacks made against the company to personal information were very real. How well protected are your systems? How easy would it be for an external party to gain access to sensitive files and company information? That is the question that FMs need to ask themselves now, and an issue that came increasingly to the fore just before Christmas, in a story we covered in our March CAFM feature.
The threat from cyberspace to facilities increased significantly in December, when a cyber-attack penetrated a German Steel Mill, paralysing the operating systems of its blast furnaces; a considerable health and safety risk to all those on the premises. The damage was heavy and the potential for loss of life was very high, as staff found they were unable to shut down the furnaces for some time, leaving all those present at risk.
At the risk of scaremongering, the severity of these attacks highlight that they can happen anywhere, on any facility, member of staff or company, with the attacker thousands of miles away. Events in Germany show the extent to which our physical world is under threat from cyberspace and it is becoming increasingly common.
The last year emphasises the need for FMs to start working closely with staff, Information Security and IT teams, to ensure adequate and appropriate security steps are being taken to protect and harden vulnerable systems, in the hope that we can become more prepared for what may come in the next year.
THE YEAR OF THE HACK : TOMORROW’S FM YEARBOOK 2015/16
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