, SecurityFocus 2002-01-30
Al-Qaida terrorists have scoured the Web for information on the computerized systems that control water distribution and treatment, NIPC warns.
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FBI Issues School Supply Cyberterror Warning
2002-02-01
John Gilmore <gnu (at) el-queso.toad (dot) com [email concealed]> (1 replies)
John Gilmore <gnu (at) el-queso.toad (dot) com [email concealed]> (1 replies)
FBI Issues School Supply Cyberterror Warning
2002-02-01
Kevin Poulsen <klp (at) securityfocus (dot) com [email concealed]>
Kevin Poulsen <klp (at) securityfocus (dot) com [email concealed]>
I write as one who designs SCADA systems for water utilities. This information the FBI has collected is basically Al Qaida's efforts at looking for vulnerabilities. For example, Al Qaida looked a crop dusters for spreading biological poisons. They discovered that crop duster applicator nozzels are optimized for limited and localized exposure. They don't work well at killing whole cities filled with people. You'd need different nozzels for that.
Likewise, it's indeed conceivable that a SCADA system could be hacked. However, it's usually a ridiculous amount of work --much more work than was involved with flying an airliner in to a building. Gee, I know some hacker folks who think it's easier to break in and trash a DoD site than it is to get in to a SCADA system. These SCADA systems are usually closed and they're not even all that well exposed to intra-nets, let alone the internet itself.
You quoted another guy saying that the main hazard was someone poisoning the water supply. Boy, he had no idea what you're talking about! Take any large water treatment plant. The plants where I work put out well over 100 million gallons of water every day in to the system. At that rate, if you were going to poison the water, you'd have to bring it in by the tanker load. Oh, and did I mention that it would have to be inorganic for it to survive the chlorination? So, no, there's no free lunch for using biological attacks here. You've got to go fully inorganic. Shucks, you'd need several hundred gallons of this stuff just to reach part-per-million effectiveness. And not many inorganic poisions are that effective in such small exposures for such short time periods.
Again, is it possible? Sure. Likely? No, not when much softer targets exist. Attacking in this manner is a lot of work. Al Qaida may be malevolent, but they're not stupid.
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