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Cyber Attackers Have Successfully Hit A Nuclear Power Plant And A Lab (reuters.com)
Slashdot reader zootsewt1 quotes a rundown by Security Taco of two unrelated breaches at nuclear-related facilities that were recently disclosed -- one "disruptive" and the other involving the remote theft of documents:
Director Yukiya Amano from the IAEA disclosed that a nuclear power generation facility came under cyber attack within the last few years. He declined to state which specific nuclear facility was involved. Mr. Amano advised that "This issue of cyber attacks on nuclear-related facilities or activities should be taken very seriously. We never know if we know everything or if it's the tip of the iceberg."
In a separate incident, a nuclear lab in the University of Toyama in Japan conducting research on tritium (used in nuclear power plants), also came under cyber attack earlier this year. The attacker appears to have been able to exfiltrate large large amounts of data, some of which was related to the Fukushima clean-up.
The Reuters article lists other data breaches and malware infections at nuclear sites over the years, and notes that the IAEA director "also cited a case in which an individual tried to smuggle a small amount of highly enriched uranium about four years ago that could have been used to build a so-called 'dirty bomb'." At the isotope research center at the University of Toyama, the attacker reportedly compressed more than 1,000 files to make them easier to transmit.
In a separate incident, a nuclear lab in the University of Toyama in Japan conducting research on tritium (used in nuclear power plants), also came under cyber attack earlier this year. The attacker appears to have been able to exfiltrate large large amounts of data, some of which was related to the Fukushima clean-up.
The Reuters article lists other data breaches and malware infections at nuclear sites over the years, and notes that the IAEA director "also cited a case in which an individual tried to smuggle a small amount of highly enriched uranium about four years ago that could have been used to build a so-called 'dirty bomb'." At the isotope research center at the University of Toyama, the attacker reportedly compressed more than 1,000 files to make them easier to transmit.
Because substantial amounts of tritium are essential for "boosted" fission nuclear weapons. Tritium (and deuterium, which is cheap and easy to procure) adds fusion to the core of a fission warhead. It's not significant in energy production directly (unlike a true H-bomb) but it substantially increases the efficiency and potency of the fission reaction by adding a boost of neutrons at the moment of maximum compression.
It is considered essential to producing warheads which are small enough for militarily capable missiles.
Hackers were hence probably DPRK.
Here is the scary part. MOST places dont have the control network isolated from the internet. Typically because of the drooling moron managers that want to log in and spy on the workers from home.
I know of at LEAST 4 water filtration plants that have the C&C network directly connected to the internet.
Honestly the managers that deem that security breach necessary need to be waterboarded while someone takes a cattle prod to their testicles.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.