Outdated IT system elevates physical risk The Colonial attack was multi-dimensional, in that it not only impacted Colonial’s business, but also the wider US economy and national security, since the pipeline transports nearly half of the east coast's fuel supplies.
This dependency on OT data stopped pipeline and business operations, and the company was elected to pay the hackers an initial ransom of US$ 4.4 million, in order to restore operations.
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In this instance, a single compromised password disrupted Colonial’s ability to invoice its customers. Using a VPN, hackers targeted back-office IT systems, forcing Colonial to shut down IT hosts and network infrastructure, severing communication with those OT systems that are responsible for communicating ‘transactional data’ associated with fuel delivery. Then, in May, the Colonial Pipeline system that originates in Houston, Texas and carries gasoline, and jet fuel, suffered a ransomware attack. The hacker changed the NaOH from about 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million, which could have resulted in a mass poisoning event. The malicious actor remotely accessed the system for three to five minutes, during which time they opened various functions on the screen, including one that controls the amount of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the water. In February, a Florida water treatment plant was hacked. Two more-recent high-profile incidents illustrate my point. It was a vivid reminder of how cyber security vulnerabilities are increasingly putting companies’ key physical assets at risk.
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Bugs in the code triggered an emergency shutdown, but could have led to the release of toxic and explosive gases. The attack in question, a ‘Triton’ custom malware attack on a petro-chemical facility in Saudi Arabia, targeted a safety system, taking over system controllers.
Cyber security vulnerabilities put physical assets at risk Another cyber-attack, this time targeting physical industrial assets, generated fewer headlines, and yet could have resulted in both real, as well as financial, damage.Ĭyber-criminals view the chemicals sector, as a high-value target, because of the potential cost, both financial and reputational, to the operator, should production be interrupted or stopped entirely. In 2017, not long after a ransomware attack that targeted Maersk, the world’s largest shipping firm, made the news around the world.
The chemicals sector, a high-value target for cyber-criminalsĬyber-criminals view the chemicals sector, as a high-value target, because of the potential cost Edge devices and data analyticsĪs cyber security specialists, we must navigate an ever-changing threat landscape, one that is made even more complex by the increased interconnectivity between Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT), as companies look to leverage edge devices and data analytics, as well as remote connectivity, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.Īs the threat surface evolves, the industry must guard against attacks on key physical infrastructure, carried out by a range of malicious actors, including nation states and criminals intent on blackmail. Robust foundational security and training staff, able to recognize an attack can help mitigate the threat, as ABB’s Rob Putman explains. Recent cyber-attacks have disabled and even shut down physical assets.
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