The CIA is looking into whether Russian Hackers were to blame for the cyber attack on the Ukrainian power grid. Experts say this is a first of a kind and may be a bad omen for attacks on other power grids around the world including our own.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/06/exclusive-cia-eyes-russian-hackers-in-blackout-attack.html
Tim Erlin, Director of Security and Product Management at Tripwire explains: “Industry experts have been talking about how cyberattacks could directly affect the power grid for a long time, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s now actually occurred. Discussing a threat doesn’t count as mitigation.
Energy companies need to invest in securing their infrastructure, from control systems to corporate IT. Investment isn’t just about buying products. It’s about people, skills and process. Purchasing the latest security device is easy compared to training security staff effectively.
All malware, including BlackEnergy, requires an infection vector to get to its target. Attackers will almost always take the path of least resistance. Today, that means published vulnerabilities, misconfigurations and phishing scams. These are all security issues that we can address, with sufficient resources.
It’s myopic to think of this threat as an ‘energy sector’ problem. Any industry that relies on industrial control systems is at risk. Any industry where networked devices cause physical change in the world is a target for these kinetic cyberattacks.”