Slashdot Mirror
Hacker Claims He Broke Into Wind Turbine Systems
itwbennett writes "Claiming revenge for an 'illegitimate firing,' someone has posted screenshots and other data, apparently showing that he was able to break into a 200 megawatt wind turbine system owned by NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of Florida Power & Light. In an e-mail interview, Bgr R said he's a former employee who discovered a vulnerability in the company's Cisco security management software that he then used to hack into the SCADA systems used to control the turbines. His motive was to embarrass the company, he said."
Well that pretty fucking much limits the list of possible suspects now doesn't it?
yes. too much can go wrong. this has the potential to be another Windscale.
i suggest we go to nuclear as soon as feasible.
News at 11.
In an e-mail interview, Bgr R said he's a former employee who discovered a vulnerability in the company's Cisco security management software that he then used to hack into the SCADA systems
That just tripped my bullshitometer. Most Cisco systems (in my experience) are pretty robust, but an employee would have been in a good position to create an open door for himself to use later. So the "vulnerability" (if I'm right) would simply be his employer's misplaced trust in him.
Um, not gonna work. Like most power companies, FP & L has no shame.
When the shit hits the fan.
-- Chaos, panic, pandemonium... My job here is done!
He'll risk prison just to break wind in public?
" http://www.itworld.com/security/156817/wind-power-company-sees-no-evidence-reported-hack
Also:
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2011/Apr/264
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2011/Apr/265
~Sticky
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2011/Apr/265 [seclists.org]
~Sticky
Supposedly he accessed the SCADA system. If so, he could alter the behavior of any or all of the mechanical controls: he could disable the logic that locks the wind turbine blades when the wind is too strong in order to prevent damage. He could shut off the lubricating pumps, and send phony sensor data back indicating the bearings are all operating within normal temperature and vibration parameters. He could remove the generator load, allowing the blades to freewheel, then instantly reconnect the full load once the blades were spinning over their max rated speed. He could alter the pitch of the blades (possibly one blade at a time) causing an out-of-balance condition. He could alter the motors that position or hold the turbine blades facing into the wind. Basically, changing any limiting parameter that prevents the system from damaging itself places the system at risk.
There is no doubt a long list of potential attacks, both subtle and overt, that a well placed hacker could execute. I am not a wind-generator expert, so any or all of the above suggestions could be completely off-base, but I took inspiration from the damage Stuxnet was coded to cause. A real wind-generator engineer would no doubt have a real list of actual damage a malprogrammed SCADA system could inflict.
John
Do you know for sure that's true, or is that something you desperately want to believe with all your heart that we're not stupid enough to turn over all mechanical functions to embedded systems? Because I have to say I've been amazed to learn of the diversity of different physical systems that have been turned over to software control. Sensors, motor speed controllers, pumps, switches, relays, etc., all are frequently software operated, or have some measure of software control over them.
Power companies are no strangers to automation systems. They've been early adopters in the field of automating control systems because their systems are so geographically diverse. And it's hard to blame the engineers, because those things make systems flexible, easy to monitor, and easy to manage, all from remote sites. Any time you can use a controller that will save a maintenance guy a trip in a truck and up a ladder, you're saving money and improving problem response time.
Sure, I like to imagine that there are still failsafe mechanical systems in place. That if there is too much current that some fuse will blow, or that a cog will trip an actual power relay when some motor tries to reach beyond its absolute limit of travel. But I've also come to believe that even the most innocuous devices could be subverted to cause serious problems. Maybe it's a sump pump, responsible for draining rainwater from a motor pit, or a ventilation louver that is supposed to close when the rain sensors are tripped. Maybe it's the lubrication system, or the weather vane, or the access hatch, or a hydraulic pump.
I see the cost of everything trumps engineering decisions all around us. I have so little faith that everyone is doing things "the right way" instead of "the cheap way" that I would be surprised if these systems couldn't be remotely destroyed by a malicious attacker.
John