[ISN] New virus targets industrial secrets

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/071710-new-virus-targets-industrial.html

By Robert McMillan
IDG News Service
July 17, 2010

Siemens is warning customers of a new and highly sophisticated virus 
that targets the computers used to manage large-scale industrial control 
systems used by manufacturing and utility companies.

Siemens learned about the issue on July 14, Siemens Industry spokesman 
Michael Krampe said in an e-mail message Friday. "The company 
immediately assembled a team of experts to evaluate the situation. 
Siemens is taking all precautions to alert its customers to the 
potential risks of this virus," he said. 

Security experts believe the virus appears to be the kind of threat they 
have worried about for years -- malicious software designed to 
infiltrate the systems used to run factories and parts of the critical 
infrastructure.

Some have worried that this type of virus could be used to take control 
of those systems, to disrupt operations or trigger a major accident, but 
experts say an early analysis of the code suggests it was probably 
designed to steal secrets from manufacturing plants and other industrial 
facilities. 

[...]


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