IT Consultants in Boston will need the heads-up on this one. We’re not talking about the kids that scam game cheats or college geeks that download copyrighted music or anything of the sort. We’re not even talking about the Nigerian bank scams or hundreds of other identity theft type scammers.
What you need to be on the look out for are those criminals who can penetrate corporate computer systems to turn valves, start pumps or surge power at factories or electrical plants. They might even be able to hit chemical facilities. These are hackers with a terrorist agenda.
Those folks are on the minds of the researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory, where the federal government regularly trains industry leaders on how to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.
In the not-so-distant past, instructors here say, security officials relied on the “3 Gs” — guns, gates and guards — to protect infrastructure from intrusions. But increasingly mechanical systems inside those gates are being linked to computers and controlled via networks and cyberspace.
Department of Homeland Security officials say attacks on industrial systems are occurring. The criminals are “kicking on the doors” of industrial systems, said Greg Schaffer, acting deputy under secretary of the department’s National Protection and Programs Directorate.
Every possible security measure is necessary as lacking security has left industrial control systems vulnerable to attack. Are you doing everything possible to keep your network protected? Do you have any security nightmares you’d like to share with us? Take a look at the full article as they give great insight into what the government is trying to do to stay ahead of the scammers.
If you would like to read the CNN Tech article in it’s entirety, click here.
