The FBI is warning that the group responsible for the deployment of TRITON malware against a Middle East–based petrochemical plant’s safety instrumented system in 2017, the Russian Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics (TsNIIKhM), continues to conduct activity targeting the global energy sector. This warning follows the 24 March 2022 unsealing of a US indictment of a Russian national and TsNIIkhM employee involved in that attack.
TRITON was malware designed to cause physical safety systems to cease operating or to operate in an unsafe manner. Its potential impact could be similar to cyberattacks previously attributed to Russia that caused blackouts in Ukraine in 2015 and 2016. TRITON malware targeted the Schneider Electric Triconex safety instrumented system (SIS), which is used to initiate safe shutdown procedures in the event of an emergency. TRITON malware affected Triconex Tricon safety controllers by modifying in-memory firmware to add additional programming, potentially leading to damage of a facility, system downtime, and even loss of life should the SIS fail to initiate safe shutdown procedures.
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Source:U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Division