- The security dilemma of smart factories [Part 1] Specificity of the programming languages used to move industrial robots
March 26, 2021
Industrial robots are the core of the automation of manufacturing processes in smart factories, and are the most important components as they support the manufacture of all kinds of products such as automobiles, aircraft, processed foods, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, as equipment that realizes unmanned manufacturing in the post-COVID-19 world where minimal or no contact ...
- Energy Giant Shell Is Latest Victim of Accellion Attacks
March 23, 2021
Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell is the latest victim of a series of attacks on users of the Accellion legacy File Transfer Appliance (FTA) product, which already has affected numerous companies and been attributed to the FIN11 and the Clop ransomware gang. “Shell has been impacted by a data-security incident involving Accellion’s File Transfer Appliance,” the ...
- Critical Security Hole Can Knock Smart Meters Offline
March 12, 2021
Critical security vulnerabilities in Schneider Electric smart meters could allow an attacker a path to remote code execution (RCE), or to reboot the meter causing a denial-of-service (DoS) condition on the device. Schneider Electric’s PowerLogic ION/PM smart meter product line, like other smart meters, is used by consumers in their homes, but also by utility companies ...
- Npower withdraws mobile app after hackers steal personal details
February 27, 2021
Npower has permanently withdrawn its mobile app after hackers used it to access its customers’ personal details, including the sort codes and the last four digits of their bank accounts. The hack, which cybersecurity experts said left the firm’s customers “wide open to fraud”, is understood to have taken place around the start of February. The company ...
- Shining a Light on SolarCity: Practical Exploitation of the X2e IoT Device
February 17, 2021
In 2019, Mandiant’s Red Team discovered a series of vulnerabilities present within Digi International’s ConnectPort X2e device, which allows for remote code execution as a privileged user. Specifically, Mandiant’s research focused on SolarCity’s (now owned by Tesla) rebranded ConnectPort X2e device, which is used in residential solar installations. Mandiant performs this type of work both ...
- Eletrobras, Copel energy companies hit by ransomware attacks
February 5, 2021
Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras (Eletrobras) and Companhia Paranaense de Energia (Copel), two major electric utilities companies in Brazil have announced that they suffered ransomware attacks over the past week. State-controlled, both are key players in the country. Copel being the largest in the state of Paraná while Eletrobras is the largest power utility company in Latin America ...
- Ransomware gangs now have industrial targets in their sights
February 2, 2021
Ransomware attacks are a potential danger for any organisation, with ransomware variants including Conti, Egregor, Maze and many others still successfully compromising victims across all industries – but there are some industries that criminal gangs are targeting more than others. The ransomware attacks are successful because many organisations can’t afford for their network to be out ...
- Improving Your Security Posture with the Pipeline Cybersecurity Initiative
January 19, 2021
A few years ago, I worked alongside some oil commodity traders. Environmental concerns aside, I never realized how many parts were required to get the oil out of the ground, not to mention everything else that finally resulted in the production of refined products that surround our lives. As a cybersecurity professional, I was more ...
- Digitally Signed Bandook Trojan Reemerges in Global Spy Campaign
November 30, 2020
A wave of targeted cyberattack campaigns bent on espionage is cresting around the globe, using a strain of a 13-year old backdoor trojan named Bandook. According to Check Point Research, Bandook was last spotted being used in 2015 and 2017/2018, in the “Operation Manul” and “Dark Caracal” campaigns, respectively. The malware then all but disappeared from ...
- Adventures in MQTT Part II: Identifying MQTT Brokers in the Wild
November 18, 2020
The use of publicly accessible MQTT brokers is prevalent across numerous verticals and technology fields. I was able to identify systems related to energy production, hospitality, finance, healthcare, pharmaceutical manufacturing, building management, surveillance, workplace safety, vehicle fleet management, shipping, construction, natural resource management, agriculture, smart homes and far more. Hackers have been sounding alarms about this ...
- Enel Group hit by ransomware again, Netwalker demands $14 million
October 27, 2020
Multinational energy company Enel Group has been hit by a ransomware attack for the second time this year. This time by Netwalker, who is asking a $14 million ransom for the decryption key and to not release several terabytes of stolen data. Enel is one of the largest players in the European energy sector, with more ...
- Netwalker ransomware hits Pakistan’s largest private power utility
September 8, 2020
K-Electric, the sole electricity provider for Karachi, Pakistan, has suffered a Netwalker ransomware attack that led to the disruption of billing and online services. K-Electric is Pakistan’s largest power supplier, serving 2.5 million customers and employing over 10 thousand people. Starting yesterday, K-Electric customers have been unable to access the online services for their account. To resolve this ...
- Cyberthreats for ICS in Energy in Europe. Q1 2020
September 4, 2020
Computers in European countries which are used to configure, maintain and control equipment in the energy industry on which Kaspersky products are installed. This includes Windows computers on which various software packages for the energy industry are installed, including but not limited to human-machine interface (HMI), OPC gateway, engineering, control and data acquisition software. Overall, in ...
- Using Botnets to Manipulate Energy Markets for Big Profits
August 6, 2020
Researchers are warning that a new class of botnets could be marshaled and used to manipulate energy markets via zombie armies of power-hungry connected devices such as air conditioners, heaters, dryers and digital thermostats. A coordinated attack could cause an energy stock index to predictably go up or down – creating an opportunity for a ...
- Foreseeing cyber vulnerabilities of nuclear facilities in South Asia
July 29, 2020
In this era of rapidly evolving technology, nuclear facilities are exposed to dynamic and evolving spectrum of cyber vulnerabilities. Cyber-attacks on nuclear facilities are a matter of concern and it’s not for the first time that a cyber-attack has been carried out. Such as attack on nuclear program of Iran to serve the purpose of ...
- Ripple20 vulnerabilities will haunt the IoT landscape for years to come
June 16, 2020
Cyber-security experts have revealed today 19 vulnerabilities in a small library designed in the 90s that has been widely used and integrated into countless of enterprise and consumer-grade products over the last 20+ years. The number if impacted products is estimated at “hundreds of millions” and includes products such as smart home devices, power grid equipment, ...
- UK electricity middleman hit by cyber-attack
May 14, 2020
Elexon, a crucial middleman in the UK power grid network, reported that it fell victim to a cyber-attack earlier today. In a short message posted on its website, the company said the incident only impacted its internal IT network and employee laptops. The company’s email server was also impacted and had been taken down, cutting employees off from crucial ...
- PoetRAT Trojan targets energy sector using coronavirus lures
April 17, 2020
Government and energy sectors are being targeted in a new campaign that weaponizes the coronavirus outbreak. On Thursday, Cisco Talos researchers Warren Mercer, Paul Rascagneres and Vitor Ventura published an analysis of a new campaign that deploys PoetRAT, a previously-undiscovered Remote Access Trojan (RAT) striking both the Azerbaijan government and utility companies. According to the team, the malware attacks supervisory control ...
- RagnarLocker ransomware hits EDP energy giant, asks for €10M
April 14, 2020
Attackers using the Ragnar Locker ransomware have encrypted the systems of Portuguese multinational energy giant Energias de Portugal (EDP) and are now asking for a 1580 BTC ransom ($10.9M or €9.9M). EDP Group is one of the largest European operators in the energy sector (gas and electricity) and the world’s 4th largest producer of wind energy. The company is present ...
- What to know about cyberattacks targeting energy pipelines
March 1, 2020
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this past month disclosed a disruptive cyberattack on a U.S. energy facility, raising new concerns about protections for energy providers. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a division of DHS, said a ransomware attack hit a “natural gas compression facility,” leading to a two-day shutdown for the entire pipeline. While the agency ...