"Hackers target Irish energy networks amid fears of further cyber attacks on UK's crucial infrastructure... Senior engineers at the Electricity Supply Board (ESB), which supplies both Northern Ireland and the Republic, were sent personalised emails containing malicious software by a group linked to Russia’s GRU intelligence agency, The Times reported. Analysts told the newspaper the cyber attack intended to infiltrate control systems, giving hackers the power to take out part of the electricity grid with similar tactics that have caused mass outrages in Ukraine..." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...lectricity-supply-board-nuclear-a7843086.html
Looks to me that a new form of email delivery system would make good sense about now. This keeps repeating like a rinse and repeat cycle. Then intrusions can concentrate on yet some other route to take to poke noses into. These common occurences are off the rails.
I personally think it is a couple things. First a probe, then an attack on infrastructure to see how that attack worked, then eventually a full fledged attack. We need a magic bullet software that can defend against all of it. Or maybe corporations and governments and all employees need to take Kevin M's course on social engineering, even if they sent him to prison at one time.
Well if there is some positive side to the way things have become lately regarding these inventions, and it doesn't matter where it originates from a technical point-of-view now, it is this. Systems (on whatever order they may be) need a complete and whole new different re-branch as far as networking goes and also a total re-route of the protocols which might have served them well for years but obviously have rapidly become obsolete. Once they been 0wned you might as well put a fork in it. How do you ever rely on it the same way again, right?
At the present time "Cyber-Deterence", with a heavy dose of Utility Employee Cyber Awareness Education, may be the last line of defense against sophisticated state sponsored hackers. On the other hand, as hawki conjectured in an earlier post, these Russian probes may themselves be their idea of cyber-deterence against cyber-implants that may have been placed by The US in response to Russian "attempts" to influence the 2016 US elections. All this preperation for a deadly cyber attack is the stuff that can keep one awake at night. Make no mistake, an attack on a country's electric grid or hydrocarbon transportation lines/interconnection points could result in mass deaths.
If these cyber attacks appear to be carried out by the Russian Government, it is far more likely an enemy of theirs is responsible. The Russian Government has nothing to gain by doing such things, especially not to countries like Ireland while those who wish to discredit them have everything to gain.
Well one of the countries that fear Russia more then anyone is Finland. who would have thought? Since the three month war they had with Russia many years ago they have built enough underground shelters for over 600,000 people. They fear Russia's cyber war and mostly the new war games Russia plans for September. The biggest since the end of the cold war.
Yes Finland has a rocky history with Russia, being one of their neighbours, but their shelters, built during the cold war, were actually to protect from the effects of an American nuclear strike on Russia. As for the cyber attacks some analysis points to false flag attacks. A common theme for 21st Century politics, it seems. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...ontained-false-flags-blaming-russian-hackers/ and how easily it can be done... https://blog.0day.rocks/lets-get-fancy-with-false-flags-28eaabefeff6
"GCHQ cyber squad believes hackers may have compromised UK energy grid targets UK's energy sector has reportedly become the latest target for hackers. GCHQ, Britain's intelligence agency reportedly believes that hackers may have successfully infiltrated the systems of some targets in the energy sector. According to the NCSC (National Cyber Security Center), the cyber arm of GCHQ, the cyberattacks against UK's critical infrastructure reportedly began in June... Motherboard reported that according to a document in its possession, reportedly issued out by the NCSC, some industrial control system organisations have likely been compromised by hackers. The NCSC's warning reportedly states that the organisations targeted by the hackers are part of the supply chain for Britain's critical infrastructure. Some of the targeted organisations may allegedly also have remote access to critical systems..." http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/gchq-cyber...ve-compromised-uk-energy-grid-targets-1630716
Like I keep saying, folks might want to look up past episodes of the 'Doomsday Prepper' series on the National Geographic pay TV channel.
"Walter Isaacson, former CEO of CNN and TIME managing editor, interviewed John Brennan, former CIA director... Difference between a missile attack and a hack? 'There's a return address.'..." https://www.axios.com/community/atreene
'Black Sky Hazards': Feds To Wargame 'Widespread Power Outages' And 'Cascading Infrastructure Failures'... 'FEMA and the U.S. Department of Energy are preparing to wargame so-called 'Black Sky Hazards' that could result in a 'subcontinent scale, long duration power outage, with cascading failure of all our other increasingly interdependent infrastructures.'... 'Concerns have grown over the potential for severe malicious or natural “Black Sky” hazards associated with subcontinent scale, long duration power outages, with cascading failure of all our other increasingly interdependent infrastructures. This creates a grim and difficult dilemma: Restoration of any sector will only be possible with at least minimal operation of all the others...' 'Cars would have no fuel. Restaurants and grocery stores would be bare. Electricity could be out for months in such an event,'..." Perhaps it's time to do a little doomsday prepping?" http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-...ad-power-outages-and-cascading-infrastructure
