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Data Storm Caused Nuclear Plant To Shut Down
rs232 writes to let us know that the US House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security called this week for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to further investigate the cause of excessive network traffic that shut down an Alabama nuclear plant. Investigators want to know whether the data storm could have been initiated from outside the plant.
All of the plant employees were looking up Starcraft 2 news.
I am on the road crew. This is my stop sign.
Never hire windows admins brandishing the moniker "network admin".
"We are all geniuses when we dream"
- E.M. Cioran
A cat fell asleep on a keyboard
Tor networks are generally not *that* fast.. so causing a data storm is not likely. ;)
;P
Sometimes such connections are sooo slow, it makes users cry. They don't call it onion routing for nothing, eh?
ENL4:RG3 UR FU3L R0:DS! Z1R:C0NIUM R3:INF0RC3M3NT - CH3:4P35T PR1:CES!
"Let's face it, it's a good story. Accuracy would kill it."
"Ok, techie, give me the jist of it."
"It seems the problem was with the NC9828A chip"
"Oh? And what was the problem?"
"It melted, basically. It went bonkers."
"Ah, and then what happend?"
"Err... it caused the shutdown."
"But how?"
"Well, I presume the AH-982's got deluged with data, so they shut off."
"Ah, so it was some sort of data thing."
"Kind of, the failing chip would start sending data in the network t--"
"Hey, it's like a storm of data! Hah! I get it!"
"Umm, basically."
"Oh man. A data storm! I better tell the NRC"
"Ok, sure."
Later...
"Sir, I have the cause of the shutdown, it was caused what the tech guys here would call a data storm."
"A data storm? Wow. So your reactors got a bunch of bad datas, right?"
"Errr.. kind of, the microchips melted."
"Data can do that?"
"Yeah, it's like a storm on our, uh, logic networks. I guess that can melt the microchips"
"Uh oh. Maybe this storm came from outside the plant! One of those hacker attacks!"
"Hmmmm, the guy said it melted, but I suppo--"
"Oh crap I better inform Homeland Security!"
"Ok, sure."
Later still...
"Yeah, we had a data storm and it melted the reactor networks."
"How did this data storm happen?"
"I don't think they know yet, but it messed up big time."
"My God. Do you realize this could be Al Qaeda?!!"
"Could realize wha--"
"Al Qaeda! Terrorists. Internets terrorists."
"I don't know if the reactors are hooked up to the Interne--"
"Listen. Keep this quiet, but make sure you tell everyone you know. These reactors are not safe! No one is safe from the terror!"
"Well, it was a data storm. Can terrorists make data storms?"
"Yes. They caused your meltdown."
"No, no, the microchips melted down because of the storm. A meltdow--"
"In the terror business, there's more than one type of meltdown, you just let us handle this."
"Ok, sure."