Windows wasn't used to fly this "airbus". Windows was used to host the software (Simatic, WinCC) that was used to write and transfer a program to the actual control devices. That control device is what was controlling the machine, not Windows, and not the PC that Windows was running on. This problem was a result of poor security practices of the software that was running under Windows, not Windows itself. It would have happened under Unix, Linux (any flavor), OS/X, QNX, DOS, or anything else because the fault was not in the OS, it was in the application running on the OS.
And actually, Windows is only rarely used to run industrial equipment. Industrial equipment tends to be controlled by special purpose hardware that has much greater uptime and greater environmental ruggedness than a PC has. Windows *is* frequently used to access that equipment, however.
The sphere would have to be outside the orbit of the moon. People have gone to the moon, and returned, so they couldn't have been destroyed by the barrier....Or is Aldrin really a robot probe from "out there", sent down to record and report?
It is *required* to put these controllers on the same network as Windows PCs. These systems are frequently networked, and so are interconnected. They often have to be monitored from an engineer's desk. They have to be programmed with software written to run under Windows. Even if programming has to occur from the factory floor, an engineer that takes his laptop from his desk to the factory floor opens up the possibility of carrying a virus with him.
The industrial controllers have to be on the same network as Windows PCs, at least some times.
The more pragmatic solution is to insist that passwords be changed from the default to something else within X days after installation, and to not provide any back doors that do not require physical access to the controllers (such as a spring-loaded button that allows super-admin access to be initiated for 30 seconds after pressing).
Because the hardware of these systems (at least the PLCs) are rarely Windows-based, there is the assumption that they are immune to viruses, and, in fact, they tend to be a smaller target because the installed base is smaller compared to Windows PCs. These systems have tended to fly under the anti-virus radar.
Like most anti-virus solutions, the best thing to do is to change your habits to prevent vulnerabilities in the first place. But with something brand new, it is hard to know what habit the change ahead of time.
While I can probably dig up some stuff that's older (audio equipment comes to mind), one thing I use regularly is my HP41 calculator that I bought around 1980 (it's sitting to side of my keyboard right now)... love that RPN notation for solving problems on the fly. Doesn't have graphics (why do you need graphics?), doesn't plug into a computer (okay, that one might be nice for program storage), runs a year or more on four "N" batteries, and nobody wants to borrow it ("...where's the equals key?").
I'd buy a second one for when this one bites the dust, but they are considered "collectible", and would cost about as much today as it did thirty years ago!
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Windows wasn't used to fly this "airbus". Windows was used to host the software (Simatic, WinCC) that was used to write and transfer a program to the actual control devices. That control device is what was controlling the machine, not Windows, and not the PC that Windows was running on. This problem was a result of poor security practices of the software that was running under Windows, not Windows itself. It would have happened under Unix, Linux (any flavor), OS/X, QNX, DOS, or anything else because the fault was not in the OS, it was in the application running on the OS.
And actually, Windows is only rarely used to run industrial equipment. Industrial equipment tends to be controlled by special purpose hardware that has much greater uptime and greater environmental ruggedness than a PC has. Windows *is* frequently used to access that equipment, however.
The sphere would have to be outside the orbit of the moon. People have gone to the moon, and returned, so they couldn't have been destroyed by the barrier. ...Or is Aldrin really a robot probe from "out there", sent down to record and report?
It is *required* to put these controllers on the same network as Windows PCs. These systems are frequently networked, and so are interconnected. They often have to be monitored from an engineer's desk. They have to be programmed with software written to run under Windows. Even if programming has to occur from the factory floor, an engineer that takes his laptop from his desk to the factory floor opens up the possibility of carrying a virus with him.
The industrial controllers have to be on the same network as Windows PCs, at least some times.
The more pragmatic solution is to insist that passwords be changed from the default to something else within X days after installation, and to not provide any back doors that do not require physical access to the controllers (such as a spring-loaded button that allows super-admin access to be initiated for 30 seconds after pressing).
Because the hardware of these systems (at least the PLCs) are rarely Windows-based, there is the assumption that they are immune to viruses, and, in fact, they tend to be a smaller target because the installed base is smaller compared to Windows PCs. These systems have tended to fly under the anti-virus radar.
Like most anti-virus solutions, the best thing to do is to change your habits to prevent vulnerabilities in the first place. But with something brand new, it is hard to know what habit the change ahead of time.
While I can probably dig up some stuff that's older (audio equipment comes to mind), one thing I use regularly is my HP41 calculator that I bought around 1980 (it's sitting to side of my keyboard right now) ... love that RPN notation for solving problems on the fly. Doesn't have graphics (why do you need graphics?), doesn't plug into a computer (okay, that one might be nice for program storage), runs a year or more on four "N" batteries, and nobody wants to borrow it ("...where's the equals key?").
I'd buy a second one for when this one bites the dust, but they are considered "collectible", and would cost about as much today as it did thirty years ago!