Israel's Electric Grid Targeted By Malware, Energy Minister Says (timesofisrael.com)

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Israel's Electric Grid Targeted By Malware, Energy Minister Says (timesofisrael.com)

Posted by Soulskill on Wednesday January 27, 2016 @03:28AM from the hope-you-got-that-security-thing-figure-out dept.

itwbennett writes: While many are still debating how much risk there is of a catastrophic cyber attack on power grid and other critical infrastructure, Israel's Minister of Infrastructure, Energy and Water, Yuval Steinitz has good reason for warning 'of the sensitivity of infrastructure to cyber-attacks, and the importance of preparing ourselves in order to defend ourselves against such attacks.' On Tuesday Steinitz told attendees at CyberTech 2016 that the country's Public Utility Authority had been targeted by malware just one day earlier, and that some systems were still not working properly. Not long after news of the attack started to spread, Robert M. Lee, the CEO of Dragos Security, published his thoughts on the matter over on the SANS ICS blog.

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Since when did we know this was going to happen? by hyperar · 2016-01-27 03:31 · Score: 1

I mean, we know industrial facilities are extremely vulnerable since the Stuxnet incident, when was that?, 2011?
Pot meet kettle by xxxJonBoyxxx · 2016-01-27 03:37 · Score: 5, Insightful

How do you pronounce "Stuxnet" in the Hebrew language?
1. Re:Pot meet kettle by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 03:47 · Score: 1
  
  Oy Vey?
2. Re:Pot meet kettle by AmiMoJo · 2016-01-27 04:34 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  That's the problem with introducing a new weapon - if your enemies hadn't already thought of it, they have now, and if they hadn't wanted to escalate to actually using it, they will now.
  How long until we see drone strikes in Israel or the mainland US?
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
3. Re:Pot meet kettle by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 04:36 · Score: 0
  
  Just clear your throat. It'll be a close enough approximation.
4. Re:Pot meet kettle by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 05:48 · Score: 0
  
  The hebrew language is mostly dead, only about 8000 words in it. The rest of the language is mixed arabic and russian grammar including huge number of imported and modified words from arabic, russian, german and french languages. So stuxnet would be probably pronounced Shtuchsnet.
5. Re: Pot meet kettle by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 06:33 · Score: 0
  
  Does 8000 words constitute mostly dead? Heck, the thing explainer book by xkcd's Randall only needed 500.
6. Re: Pot meet kettle by Number42 · 2016-01-27 07:00 · Score: 1
  
  But English started out as a mishmash of various Germanic languages to begin with, so it doesn't have any vocabulary to call its own.
7. Re: Pot meet kettle by Triklyn · 2016-01-27 07:48 · Score: 1
  
  randall munroe you heathen.
8. Re:Pot meet kettle by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 14:16 · Score: 0
  
  mainland US?
  Ask the Droner-in-Chief, Obama. He'll be the one giving the orders for it to happen.
9. Re:Pot meet kettle by Sun · 2016-01-27 22:04 · Score: 1
  
  No, not even close.
  It is true that modern Hebrew is not the same as Biblical Hebrew. The later no one actually speaks these days (aside from recital during prayer). It is also true that modern Hebrew has many roots in Polish and German grammar (not so much Russian). It is also true that the vocabulary is affected by cultural neighbours, including Arabic and English. All of those, however, do not mean the language is dead. Quite the contrary.
  It is a dead language that does not accept influences from other languages. Chutzpah is a Hebrew word (it arrived to English from Yiddish, but its origin is Hebrew). So is Armageddon, hallelujah, shibboleth, and many others. Far from suggesting this makes English a dead language, this is what live languages do.
  Lastly, the Hebrew Language Academy estimates that modern Hebrew has around 75,000 to 80,000 unique expressions worthy of a dictionary entry. About ten times what you estimated.
  Shachar
Jobs by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 03:45 · Score: 0

They connected plants and relay stations to the internet to automate them, ie: layoff most of the workforce... Disconnect from the internet and employ some qualified people to cheap bastards.
Give each of the CEO's a WiFi enabled pacemaker...
I'm amazed it's taken this long by ErichTheRed · 2016-01-27 03:49 · Score: 3, Interesting

There are so many vulnerable SCADA systems, device-specific Ethernet adapters and other stuff out there, and it just chugs along for years and years. Especially with public sector stuff, multiple layers of contractors put gear in, barely document it and hand it over to the operating authority. The problem is that since no one permanent knows the ins and outs of the system, it can stay vulnerable for ages. Even if a vendor does release patches, the "don't touch it or 500K customers lose power" mentality around critical infrastructure means they barely ever get applied.
Anything IoT is going to have to be secure by default, as in, hard to get working instead of open and easy. I doubt the "just contract it out" mentality is ever going to go away in the public sector -- I've inherited systems where the only documentation is a statement of work from 5 years back that the contractor cut and pasted from the vendor's manuals.
1. Re:I'm amazed it's taken this long by campuscodi · 2016-01-27 03:59 · Score: 1
  
  Check the update at the end of the article.... ransomware does not run on SCADA systems. Now how do you feel about posting that rant? You've just wasted 10 minutes of your life writing that :))))
2. Re:I'm amazed it's taken this long by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 04:12 · Score: 0
  
  How could you possibly conclude that he wasted his time?
3. Re:I'm amazed it's taken this long by Mr+D+from+63 · 2016-01-27 04:40 · Score: 1
  
  It seems that they actually were in a position to quickly identify and respond to the threat. That doesn't happen by accident. And without knowing details of the attack, many here will simply make unfounded assumptions about what was done wrong.
Re:Since when did we know this was going to happen by gstoddart · 2016-01-27 03:54 · Score: 4, Interesting

And, given the widespread belief Israel was involved in Stuxnet ... to suddenly be bit by this seems a little shortsighted,
I mean, if you (allegedly) did this to someone else, why would you be surprised if it happens to you?

--
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Another misinformed article by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 03:58 · Score: 0

Leave it to CSO to write another BS news story Ranomsware is not a cyber-attack... it's just some guy in a basement making money... Source: http://www.ynet.co.il/home/0,7...
1. Re:Another misinformed article by Fire_Wraith · 2016-01-27 04:05 · Score: 2
  
  I wouldn't blame the news organizations entirely. The Israeli Energy Minister was serving up a nice heaping scoop of FUD and political spin, trying to portray what looks now to just be a garden variety ransomware infection (probably some employee surfing for porn on a work computer) as a big dangerous targeted nation state attack. Certainly, the news folks ate it up, and didn't bother to ask the questions that should arise when you hear wild initial reports like that.
2. Re:Another misinformed article by gstoddart · 2016-01-27 04:08 · Score: 2
  
  Have you not being paying attention lately?
  In a lot of countries someone could have a loud fart and the threat alert would ratchet up ... the world is jumping at shadows these days.
  Israel has just been doing it longer.
  
  --
  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
3. Re:Another misinformed article by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 04:31 · Score: 0
  
  >Israel has just been doing it longer.
  Jumping or farting?
4. Re:Another misinformed article by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 05:51 · Score: 0
  
  Unfortunately farting themselves to a mass psychosis. Ever met an israeli that wasn't an obnoxious asshole? If you haven't I highly recommend you met one and you'll soon enough figure out why they are considered among the most obnoxious people on earth.
5. Re:Another misinformed article by Triklyn · 2016-01-27 06:46 · Score: 1
  
  ... you're not being paranoid if everyone really is out to get you.
  if anybody is perfectly justified at jumping at shadows, i'd say it's the jews.
  they've been holocausted once, repelled 2-3 unprovoked acts of aggression by EVERYONE within the first 30 years of founding a nation... and probably have a pretty healthy and pretty warranted genetic fear of religious persecution due to something like a couple millenia of jew-baiting.
6. Re:Another misinformed article by lhowaf · 2016-01-27 06:58 · Score: 1
  
  Present company excepted.
Turnabout is fair play by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 03:59 · Score: 0

also:
It's like anodda shoah
Reading Comprehension by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 04:09 · Score: 0

The submitter apparently did not read the times article. It specifically said their (regulatory) authority was targeted and not the grid. Their grid is handled the Israel Electric Corporation, a state owned company .
Israel targeted by electric malware .. by tetraverse · 2016-01-27 04:32 · Score: 1

No guesses as to what operating System this electric malware runs on.
1. Re:Israel targeted by electric malware .. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 06:01 · Score: 0
  
  Some windows pc used for pornsurfing as the haredis misunderstood 'between the sheets' with 'sheet between' with a small hole in it. Also they believe sex should only be done for procreation and nothing else...wtf, I guess their God made it pleasurable only to tease them.
Re:Since when did we know this was going to happen by arth1 · 2016-01-27 04:55 · Score: 1

And, given the widespread belief Israel was involved in Stuxnet ... to suddenly be bit by this seems a little shortsighted,
I mean, if you (allegedly) did this to someone else, why would you be surprised if it happens to you?
Live by the sword, die by the sword.
And yes, there is a lot of evidence that Israel is behind much of the cyberwarfare in general, and of malware in particular.
They shouldn't act surprised if what goes around comes around.
Re:Since when did we know this was going to happen by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-27 05:35 · Score: 0

Didin't you know, if anyone does anything even complaining causually about these israelis breaking international laws and trade agreements it's considered a serious offence. If israelis on the other hand does something it's totally a-ok or "great". Those who did this will probably be summarily executed when identified.
UPDATED: Not an attack on infrastructure after all by markzip · 2016-01-27 05:47 · Score: 2

From TFA SANS ICS cited at the end of the Slashdot summary:

*Update* A cyber analyst in Israel (Eyal Sela) messaged me to add that the media reporting so far is misleading with regards to the context around the incident. The "Israel Electric Authority" the Minister mentioned is in no way related to the networks of the Israeli electric companies, transmission, or distribution sites. The Israeli Electric Authority is a regulatory body of roughly 30 individuals and this "cyber attack" is only referencing their networks. The original purpose of this blog was to stress caution to the reports but did not try to dispel what the Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water resources had stated as reporting was too early with no evidence presented. However, new reporting shows that the "cyber attack" was simply ransomware delivered via phishing emails to the regulatory body's office network and it appears in no way endangered any infrastructure.This once again stresses the importance around individuals and media carefully evaluating statements regarding cyber attacks and infrastructure as they can carry significant weight.
Re:Since when did we know this was going to happen by cavreader · 2016-01-27 17:34 · Score: 1

"what goes around comes around" It certainly does but Israel has a history of retaliatory actions against those who threaten their state. They don't ask for permission, they don't apologize, and they don't believe in "proportional" responses.
Re:UPDATED: Not an attack on infrastructure after by Bobert13 · 2016-01-27 22:05 · Score: 1

so, there's yet another politician who doesn't understand the technology he's supposed to be in charge of and a whole lot of news agencies who completely failed to check their facts. So basically, it's Thursday.
Sneaky by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-28 00:04 · Score: 0

It was probably Israel doing it to itself in another pathetic attempt to point the finger of blame at Iran and the Muslims.
Free Occupied Palestine. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-01-28 00:33 · Score: 0

No justice, no peace.