http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/01/stuxnet_and_jails/ By Richard Chirgwin The Register 1st August 2011 Hard on the heels of warnings that critical systems in America are vulnerable to Stuxnet-style attacks, a group of security researchers says SCADA systems and PLCs make prisons vulnerable to computer-based attacks. In a white paper published here, Teague Newman, Tiffany Rad and John Strauchs say the use of PLCs (programmable logic controllers) to control systems such as cell doors means that prisons inherit the vulnerabilities of PLC-based systems. There isn’t actually much that’s new in their document: if SCADA and PLC systems are vulnerable to attacks, then so are the systems they control. The main point of the discussion is that most people, includingepl perhaps the authorities operating prisons, are only dimly aware of the extent to which physical security is a function of IT security. PLCs are deployed in jails because of the complex controls needed: there are rules (for example) dictating which doors may be open at the same time, what times different doors may be open, which alarms or alerts (if any) should be sounded for different doors or combinations of doors being open, and so on. [...] ___________________________________________________________ Attend Black Hat USA 2011, hosted at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada July 30-Aug 4, offering over 60 training sessions and 9 tracks of Briefings from security industry elite. To sign up visit: http://www.blackhat.comReceived on Mon Aug 01 2011 - 02:49:19 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.2.0 : Mon Aug 01 2011 - 02:50:51 PDT