Hackers Opened Electricity Breakers Causing Power Outage in Ukraine

One fresh research about certain cyber-assault in December 2015 targeting Ukrainian electricity suppliers indicates malicious software did not directly result in the power failure which impacted 80,000-or-more consumers. A report that assessed the unfolding of the attack reveals that hackers possibly were behind the December 23 power failure via remotely turning on circuit breakers for cutting power, once malware was loaded towards stopping technical experts in realizing the assault.

Specialists for years issued alerts of industrial control mechanisms, which resorted to utilities, as being prone to cyber-assaults. A most prominent instance again about such fears taking shape is the December 23 Ukrainian assault.

According to SANS ICS, advisor to infrastructure operators about countervailing online-assaults too stated that the attackers disrupted customer-service unit of the utility via making excessive phone-calls that wouldn't allow consumers to report the utility about the power failure.

An erstwhile officer for cyber-warfare functioning with United States Air Force, Robert Lee, who assisted SANS ICS in preparing the report, described the attack as multi-pronged that targeted several utilities. There was use of extremely professional logistics that made the attack highly coordinated. They somehow blindfolded the utilities from all angles, Lee added.

Specialists, far-and-wide, portray the event to be the fore-mostly recognized electricity failure occurring due to a cyber-assault. The state security provider SBU of Ukraine condemned Russia. 'iSight Partners' a cyber firm in USA detected the perpetrators to be certain Russian 'Sandworm' hackers' gang.

The Ministry of Energy at Ukraine stated it would put off the discussion on the issue till after 18th January, once an official investigation into the incident was completed.

An intense interest has occurred regarding the outage as there are worldwide concerns of likewise methodologies potentially getting employed for leveraging further assaults against power operators all over.

Presently the truth is that one highly-synchronized Internet assault having multiple components is an expected danger that utilities may encounter.

The power firms seemingly have implemented again their services via shutting the breakers in a manual way in 3-6 hours. Within numerous manners, it's commendable how the operators in Ukraine exemplified diligence and reinstallation labors, thus reported CIO, January 11, 2016.

» SPAMfighter News - 1/15/2016