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U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

washingtonpost.com

121–130 of 218 posts

Re: U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

#121
post #24

It's only a matter of time, there's gonna be physical casualties at some point in time. We've all seen it in the movies. Experts have warned of the dangers of tethering vital utilities controls to the internet. Is it not possible to develop protocol or device that operates outside of the web but functions like the'two-man' rule used to launch nuclear bombs?

"It's only a matter of time, there's gonna be physical casualties at some point in time. We've all seen it in the movies."

You mean like a pandemic? ;)

Re: U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

#122
post #51

In a twisted sort of way I am happy to see these types of ransomware attacks making headlines. Before it was much harder to quantify how much a breach might cost but with ransomeware you get a fuzzy lower bound. Also the prevalence of these attacks might actually make us all safer in the long run.

I think I understand your POV and can see why one might find some peace in it, but I don't. More crime, or I suppose mroe news about it, so we know how much crime costs? More attacks make us safer? It's a means justify the ends argument, but it doesn't hold water. It's eerily similar to "burn it all down" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerationism , which, itself is on the rise and burning from both ends. I infer…

Trust and integrity are irrelevant when it comes to professional cyber criminals who likely live in another country. Continually escalating cyber attacks are our new reality. There is no possible way to prevent the attackers from trying. Thus the only option is to harden our systems.

I expect after a few major crises involving mass casualties or major economic losses the federal government will mandate that private industry completely disconnect certain critical infrastructure control systems from the public Internet. Basically the same approach used by SIPRNet.

Re: U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

#124

There’s nothing in this article indicating the operator has a recovery plan in place involving restoring backups to get these systems online. Seems grossly negligent on their behalf, and made almost satiric by the fact that Fireye can be mentioned without reference to their own massive security lapses. Too much focus always on the “hackers” and never the obvious security lapses solved by diverting executive pay to mo…

[deleted]

Re: U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

#125

There’s nothing in this article indicating the operator has a recovery plan in place involving restoring backups to get these systems online. Seems grossly negligent on their behalf, and made almost satiric by the fact that Fireye can be mentioned without reference to their own massive security lapses. Too much focus always on the “hackers” and never the obvious security lapses solved by diverting executive pay to mo…

IT is typically grossly understaffed and underfunded in these businesses. At the site-level, you'll see some very out of date tech running critical systems. IT is a cost-center to be reduced as much as possible, oversight is non-existent.

You always know you’re dealing with one of these companies when IT reports up into the CFO.

Re: U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

#126
post #119

I hope this ransomware called itself the Da Vinci virus? Because this sounds a whole lot like the plot of Hackers [1]. The greatest movie of all time, btw. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_(film)

Give ‘em a cookie! Hack the planet!

Re: U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d prefer a new Cybersecurity branch of the military with full funding and resources rather than Space Force.

I've always secretly hoped warfare would move to the digital realm soley. We have some shades of that happening already, but I imagine a future where instead of sending young people to die,warring nations wreck each others economies remotely... which again isn't too far from current day. While there'd still be casualties it wouldn't be nearly as barbaric as current wars, more developed nations would finally have as m…

Covered in the original Star Trek series over 50 years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Taste_of_Armageddon

People marked as casualties had to report to the disintegration chamber.

Re: U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

#129

There’s nothing in this article indicating the operator has a recovery plan in place involving restoring backups to get these systems online. Seems grossly negligent on their behalf, and made almost satiric by the fact that Fireye can be mentioned without reference to their own massive security lapses. Too much focus always on the “hackers” and never the obvious security lapses solved by diverting executive pay to mo…

Was just gonna say this sounds like your classic case of a business scoffing at the high price of software devs.

I'd wager a guess that their current IT team was worked to the bone on profit-focused projects, but will be 100% blamed internally by the execs.

Re: U.S.'s Biggest Gasoline Pipeline Halted After Cyberattack

#130
post #129

There’s nothing in this article indicating the operator has a recovery plan in place involving restoring backups to get these systems online. Seems grossly negligent on their behalf, and made almost satiric by the fact that Fireye can be mentioned without reference to their own massive security lapses. Too much focus always on the “hackers” and never the obvious security lapses solved by diverting executive pay to mo…

Was just gonna say this sounds like your classic case of a business scoffing at the high price of software devs. I'd wager a guess that their current IT team was worked to the bone on profit-focused projects, but will be 100% blamed internally by the execs.

Failure accrue down, to people who do work. Successes accrue up, to managers who decided it should be done.

It's almost like this arrangement was by design...

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