full-disclosure - Fw: Computers crashed just before blackout

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Message-ID: <20030829222505.903EF38120@mail.secnap.net>
From: scheidell at secnap.net (Michael Scheidell)
Subject: Fw: Computers crashed just before blackout

(notes below...)

> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Richard M. Smith" <rms@...puterbytesman.com>
> To: <cta@...in.net>; "'Michael Scheidell'" <scheidell@...nap.net>; "'Alan
> Kloster'" <akloster@....org>; "'Geoff Shively'" <gshively@...x.com>; "'Drew
> Copley'" <dcopley@...e.com>
> Sent: Friday, August 29, 2003 6:35 AM
> Subject: Computers crashed just before blackout
> 
> 
> > http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/106207424
> > 774610.xml
> > Computers crashed just before blackout
> >
> > 08/28/03
> >
> > John Funk Teresa Dixon Murray and Tom Breckenridge
> > Plain Dealer Reporters
> >
> > FirstEnergy Corp. could not see mounting transmission line problems in
> > the crucial hour before the Aug. 14 blackout because its key computers
> > were down, according to at least two municipal electric systems.
> >
> > Whether the computer troubles were the result of hardware or software
> > problems was not known yesterday. Investigators from the Department of
> > Energy have visited the utility's Akron control center, said spokesman
> > Ralph DiNicola.
> >
> > FirstEnergy is detailing how the control center computers operated that
> > day for the DOE, said DiNicola. He repeatedly declined to say whether
> > there were any computer problems.
> >
> > ...

Yep, looks like the HMI systems (that allow the humans to see warnings
and
critical situations) and to manually reroute power went down.

Bet you 30,000 quatros that those HMI systems communicated to the SCADA
systems via DCOM.

Time for our lobbiests in DC to get to work, making sure all critical
infostructure systems, utilities, water, power, traffic, AIR CONTROL
update their best practices

Also time for HMI/SCADA/FA vendors to update their clients, and make sure
that this won't happen again.

Looks like the clients/end users will need to firewall their SCADA/FA
systems and forget the microsoft 'COTS' (commercial off the shelf)
office/factory integration promise.

-- 
Michael Scheidell, CEO
SECNAP Network Security, LLC 
Sales: 866-SECNAPNET / (1-866-732-6276)
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