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Software Update Shuts Down Nuclear Power Plant

Posted by Soulskill on from the we-have-safety-systems-because-we-are-very-stupid dept.

Garabito writes "Hatch Nuclear Power Plant near Baxley, Georgia was forced into a 48-hour emergency shutdown when a computer on the plant's business network was rebooted after an engineer installed a software update. The Washington Post reports, 'The computer in question was used to monitor chemical and diagnostic data from one of the facility's primary control systems, and the software update was designed to synchronize data on both systems. According to a report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, when the updated computer rebooted, it reset the data on the control system, causing safety systems to errantly interpret the lack of data as a drop in water reservoirs that cool the plant's radioactive nuclear fuel rods. As a result, automated safety systems at the plant triggered a shutdown.' Personally, I don't think letting devices on a critical control system accept data values from the business network is a good idea."

4 of 355 comments (clear)

  1. Just looking to avoid a script kiddie attack by zazenation · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    It was probably just a Microsoft Windows Update, I don't see how that could cause any problems....

  2. Re:analogy and reality. by willyhill · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    It's amazing that you keep replying to yourself and thinking no one has figured out that you have ten different accounts. That is amazing.

    Why don't you just say what you have to say with a single post and stop trying to insult everyone's intelligence? For an account with a grand total of 48 posts, a distressing number seem to dedicated to the cult of twitter.

    --
    The twitter monologues. Click on my homepage and be amazed.
  3. they never mention microsoft windows by johnrpenner · · Score: 0, Flamebait


    but we all know what it is that requires the 'system update' to reboot... :-P

    the microsoft PR nerds must've been on that one. :-^

  4. Re:One begs the question by daybot · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    one begs the question...
    No one doesn't I've managed to restrain myself from marking this as Troll. The Wiki article you link to clearly explains that it's a contentious issue - language is in the hands of the people and for all my life I've heard this term used to mean raises the question. Anyone who argues against this usage is at least 20 years too late.